Defiance College
Defiance, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 47.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 22/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Defiance College, a small private liberal arts school in northwest Ohio, scores 22 on overall ROI (Below Benchmark tier). The numbers explain why. Tuition is $29,320 with average net price of $26,337 - meaning aid only discounts about 10% off sticker. Four years runs $105,348. Average earnings six years out are $32,900, climbing to a median $49,351 by year ten - modest growth at this price point producing a 17.1-year payback period. Median debt of $26,813 against a 0.81 debt-to-earnings ratio shows graduates owe nearly as much in debt as they earn in their first year. The completion rate is 31%. The 65% three-year repayment rate is mediocre. Defiance has a long history (founded 1850) and a small intimate campus, but the financial outcomes for students who do not finish are poor and the cost-to-completion math does not pencil at this price.
How Defiance 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 Score22/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate30.6% - 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 period17.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Defiance College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,320/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,320/yr |
| Average net price | $26,337/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $105,348 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $49,351 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,813 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $284 |
| Estimated payback period | 17.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 30.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 499 |
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: $29,320/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,337/year, or roughly $105,348 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 $27,196/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,637/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,813, which works out to about $284 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,900) and comes to 0.81, 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 | $27,196 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $26,105 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $25,884 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,554 |
| $110,001+ | $26,637 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $27,196 net - actually the HIGHEST bracket on offer. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $26,105, $48,001-$75,000 pays $25,884, and $75,001-$110,000 pays the lowest at $24,554. This is unusual and concerning.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $25,884 and $75,001-$110,000 pays $24,554 (the cheapest tier). Across the middle range, four-year cost is roughly $98,000-$104,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,001 pay $26,637 - effectively full-pay at roughly $107,000 over four years. At this price point, compare Defiance's program figures with your other offers. The math only pencils if the small-college community fit and athletic recruitment are decisive non-financial factors.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Defiance College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $39,980 | D |
| Business Administration and Management | $46,536 | C |
| Teacher Education | $39,194 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,633 | - |
| Social Work | $50,745 | C+ |
| Special Education and Teaching | $29,443 | 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.
Social Work
Social Work is Defiance's strongest reported program: $50,745 four-year median earnings against $27,000 median debt produce a 0.53 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade. Just 6 graduates per cohort feed regional Ohio human-services and child-welfare positions. The credential plus subsequent MSW pathway is a defined career ladder, making this one of the few defensible bets at the school's price.
Business Administration and Management
Business Administration earns C ROI: $46,536 four-year median earnings against $27,000 median debt (0.58 debt-to-earnings). 13 graduates per cohort.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology earns D ROI: $30,147 first-year and $39,980 four-year median earnings against $27,000 median debt produce a 0.90 debt-to-earnings ratio. 22 graduates per cohort - the largest reported program. Like most kinesiology bachelor's programs, the credential alone does not provide meaningful earnings premium without grad school. At Defiance's price this is one of the weakest financial bets on campus.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education posts an F ROI grade: $25,798 first-year against $29,000 median debt produce a 1.12 debt-to-earnings ratio - graduates owe more in debt than they earn in their first year. 10 graduates per cohort. Ohio teacher pay is bounded by state scales, and Defiance's pricing does not pencil for an Ohio K-12 career.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 66.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 65.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 71.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Defiance 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 | 47.5% |
| Enrollment | 499 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 49.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,646 |
Defiance admits 48% of applicants - moderately selective on paper, but with no SAT or ACT mid-ranges reported in current Scorecard data, the admit rate alone tells limited story. Likely the school operates as test-optional and many enrolled students do not submit scores. The 31% completion rate suggests a combination of financial stop-out, transfers, and academic preparation gaps in enrolled cohorts.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defiance College (this school) | 22 | $26,337 | $49,351 |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | 29 | $5,355 | $37,453 |
| Sterling College | 26 | $22,371 | $45,846 |
| Touro University Worldwide | 24 | $19,058 | $40,803 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
With 499 students and a 50% Pell rate, Defiance is small and serves a heavily low-to-moderate income northwest Ohio student population. The fit profile is narrow: students from Ohio's I-75 corridor seeking a small Christian-affiliated liberal arts community close to home, who can stack significant aid to bring net price down, and who are committed to finishing despite the school's 31% completion headwind. Strongest tracks are Social Work (C+ ROI, 6 graduates) and Business Administration (C, 13 graduates). Education tracks all post D or F grades and warrant caution.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Defiance College scores 22/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,337 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $49,351 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 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 30.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 65.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,813 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. 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.
Defiance College: Common Questions
Is Defiance College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Defiance College scores 22/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,337 a year after aid against $49,351 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Defiance 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 $26,337 a year, or roughly $105,348 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 Defiance College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $49,351 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,551 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 Defiance 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 17.1 years for Defiance College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Defiance College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,813, against average earnings of $32,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. 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 Defiance College?
The six-year graduation rate is 30.6%. 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.