Davenport University
Grand Rapids, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 97.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 28/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Davenport University, a Grand Rapids, Michigan private nonprofit focused on business, tech, and health career fields, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 28/100. The headline ratios are tough: 20.9-year payback period, debt-to-earnings of 0.741 (more than 70 cents of debt for every dollar of early earnings), and a 56.9% repayment rate that flags real difficulty servicing loans. Tuition runs $24,466 per year with a $17,707 net price after aid - roughly $70,828 over four years. Average earnings six years after entry are $35,100, climbing modestly to a median $45,099 at ten years. The earnings premium over a high-school graduate is only 14.3%, which is the core problem: students borrow at private-college rates and earn at near-public-associate levels. The bright spot is completion at 56.6%. The school's nursing and computer programs deliver materially better outcomes than the institution-wide picture, and prospective students should treat Davenport less as a single brand and more as a portfolio of program-specific bets where the technical and clinical majors carry the financial case.
How Davenport University 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 Score28/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period20.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Davenport University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $24,466/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $24,466/yr |
| Average net price | $17,707/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $70,828 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,099 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $35,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 56.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,134 |
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: $24,466/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $17,707/year, or roughly $70,828 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 $16,700/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $28,703/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($35,100) and comes to 0.74, 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 | $16,700 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,376 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $22,856 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,420 |
| $110,001+ | $28,703 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Lower-income families ($0-$30,000) pay $16,700 per year net - actually the cheapest bracket, suggesting Pell and institutional aid stack reasonably well at the bottom. Over four years that is about $66,800. The bracket structure inverts above this: the $30,001-$48,000 group pays more at $22,376, a flag worth raising. Lower-income families should still scrutinize whether the program-specific ROI justifies the cost.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income households face the inverted aid problem most acutely. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $22,376, the $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $22,856, and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $24,420 - approaching the sticker price. Four-year cost lands at $89,000-$98,000 for this group. Nursing and computer science show the strongest program figures at this price.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $28,703 per year net, which exceeds the published $24,466 tuition figure. That inversion - net price higher than tuition - reflects room, board, and fees being captured in the net-price calculation while the tuition figure is tuition-only. Four-year all-in approaches $115,000, and the financial case requires a high-earning program choice.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Davenport University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $78,357 | C |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $71,344 | C+ |
| Marketing | $60,463 | C |
| Accounting | $68,792 | C+ |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration | $73,487 | C |
| Computer Science | $76,469 | C+ |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $64,247 | D |
| Human Resources Management | $67,854 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $54,729 | D |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications | $69,737 | B |
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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Davenport's flagship by volume - 188 graduates a year - earning $72,486 at one year and $78,357 at four years. Median debt is high at $46,829, pushing the debt-to-earnings ratio to 0.646 and a C ROI grade. Students should confirm clinical placement quality and NCLEX pass rates before signing on.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
The second-largest program at 174 graduates posts $51,384 first-year earnings rising to $71,344 at four years, with $27,898 median debt and a 0.543 debt-to-earnings ratio - a C+ ROI grade. The four-year earnings ramp is solid, suggesting the program does prepare students for managerial pay over time.
Computer Science
Computer Science (43 grads) earns $60,031 at year one and $76,469 at year four, with $32,500 median debt and a 0.541 debt-to-earnings ratio yielding a C+ ROI grade. For students priced out of selective CS programs, this is a defensible regional option.
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Networking and telecom is the standout: 27 grads earning $57,502 at year one and $69,737 at year four, with only $24,146 median debt and a 0.42 debt-to-earnings ratio - a B ROI grade, the best at Davenport. The combination of solid earnings and restrained debt is exactly what a career-focused private should produce. A small but quietly excellent program.
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Health admin grads (36/yr) earn $52,603 at year one and $64,247 at year four - decent numbers - but median debt is $50,407 and debt-to-earnings hits 0.958, the highest in Davenport's reported mix, yielding a D ROI grade. The debt load is the problem; students paying near $50k for an administrative credential should consider lower-cost paths to the same job.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 49.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 56.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 38.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 44.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Davenport University’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 | 97.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,134 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 33.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,047 |
Davenport admits 97.84% of applicants, essentially open-admission. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with a test-optional or test-blind posture for adult and career-focused learners.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport University (this school) | 28 | $17,707 | $45,099 |
| Albion College | 65 | $14,301 | $58,799 |
| Adrian College | 39 | $25,368 | $55,504 |
| Oral Roberts University | 29 | $25,365 | $46,885 |
| Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico | 27 | $17,540 | $47,540 |
| Charleston Southern University | 24 | $21,666 | $45,898 |
Who Thrives Here
Davenport enrolls 3,134 students with a 33.8% Pell rate, indicating a meaningful working-class and lower-income base. The school fits Michigan-region adult learners, career-changers, and traditional students targeting nursing, IT, computer science, or accounting - programs where the labor market in West Michigan is genuinely strong.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Davenport University scores 28/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $17,707 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,099 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.9 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 56.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $35,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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.
Davenport University: Common Questions
Is Davenport University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Davenport University scores 28/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $17,707 a year after aid against $45,099 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Davenport University 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 $17,707 a year, or roughly $70,828 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 Davenport University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,099 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,299 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 Davenport University?
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 20.9 years for Davenport University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Davenport University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $35,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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 Davenport University?
The six-year graduation rate is 56.6%. 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.