Dallas Christian College
Dallas, Texas · Private Nonprofit · 21.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 18/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Dallas Christian College earns an ROI score of 18 out of 100. The four-year all-in is $91,840. Graduates earn $33,000 six years out and $43,503 at ten years, with $24,912 median debt and a 0.76 debt-to-earnings ratio. The Scorecard reports a 27.3-year payback period, reflecting genuinely modest earnings against the cost. The hardest number is the 28.6% completion rate: more than 70% of entering students never finish, leaving them with debt and no degree. The 63.4% overall repayment rate and especially the 49.2% 5-year repayment rate signal substantial loan default exposure. This is a very small Bible college (224 students) with a narrow mission.
How Dallas Christian College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score18/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate28.6% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period27.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Dallas Christian College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,730/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,730/yr |
| Average net price | $22,960/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $91,840 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $43,503 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,912 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $264 |
| Estimated payback period | 27.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 28.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 224 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $21,730/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $22,960/year, or roughly $91,840 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $19,302/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,148/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,912, which works out to about $264 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,000) and comes to 0.76, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $19,302 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,399 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,716 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $29,512 |
| $110,001+ | $25,148 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,302, and the $30,001-$48,000 band pays $21,399. Combined with Pell Grant eligibility, low-income families face roughly $77,000-$86,000 over four years. Against $43,503 ten-year earnings, the math is fundamentally difficult.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $23,716 and the $75,001-$110,000 band jumps to $29,512. Middle-income families face roughly $95,000-$118,000 in four-year cost. Median earnings are $43,503 ten years out.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $25,148, which is lower than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket, a genuine inversion at the top suggesting merit aid or scholarship dollars catching some high-income families. Even at this discounted rate, the four-year cost of about $100,000 against modest earnings outcomes makes this an extremely difficult financial case to justify.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Dallas Christian College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management | $65,390 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration and Management
Business Administration is the only program with reported financial data, graduating 16 students. First-year earnings of $43,531 climb to $65,390 at four years, showing reasonable wage growth, with $32,000 median debt producing a 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. The four-year earnings are surprisingly solid for the school's overall profile, likely reflecting graduates who leverage the credential into Dallas-area corporate or sales roles. This appears to be the strongest financial pathway available on campus.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 50.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 63.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 49.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 59.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Dallas Christian College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 21.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 391-566 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 397-522 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 15-19 |
| Enrollment | 224 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 48.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,606 |
Dallas Christian College admits 21.8% of applicants. SAT mid-ranges are 391-566 in math and 397-522 in reading, with an ACT mid-range of 15-19. The 28.6% completion rate tracks directly with this academic profile.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Christian College (this school) | 18 | $22,960 | $43,503 |
| Columbia International University | 21 | $26,036 | $38,951 |
| Davis & Elkins College | 21 | $18,273 | $43,411 |
| Kentucky Christian University | 19 | $24,038 | $42,375 |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | 18 | $19,359 | $35,604 |
| Toccoa Falls College | 16 | $21,642 | $36,630 |
Who Thrives Here
Dallas Christian College enrolls just 224 students with a 48.6% Pell rate, marking it as a low-income, mission-driven institution serving primarily students preparing for Christian ministry or church leadership. The fit profile is narrow: a student committed to vocational ministry, willing to attend a very small Bible-focused institution, and either confident in a ministry career path that does not depend on traditional labor-market wages or planning to use the credential as a foundation for further education.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Dallas Christian College scores 18/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,960 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $43,503 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 27.3 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 28.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 63.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,912 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Dallas Christian College: Common Questions
Is Dallas Christian College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Dallas Christian College scores 18/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,960 a year after aid against $43,503 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 27.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Dallas Christian College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $22,960 a year, or roughly $91,840 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Dallas Christian College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $43,503 ten years after enrolling, roughly $1,703 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Dallas Christian College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 27.3 years for Dallas Christian College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Dallas Christian College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,912, against average earnings of $33,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Dallas Christian College?
The six-year graduation rate is 28.6%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.