Doane University
Crete, Nebraska · Private Nonprofit · 98.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 42/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Doane University earns an ROI score of 42 out of 100, landing in the Below Benchmark tier. Graduates earn $38,300 six years out and $53,316 at ten years, with $25,000 median debt and a 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio. Doane has a solid Business Administration pipeline (its largest program by graduates), reasonable teacher education outcomes, and emerging strength in CS, but a wide tail of lower-paying soft majors pulls the institutional average down. For a Nebraska student choosing Doane over a state university, the financial trade-off requires real conviction in the small-college experience.
How Doane 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 Score42/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Doane University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $43,985/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $43,985/yr |
| Average net price | $26,364/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $105,456 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $53,316 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $38,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | 13.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 978 |
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: $43,985/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,364/year, or roughly $105,456 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 $21,129/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $29,410/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,000, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($38,300) and comes to 0.65, 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 | $21,129 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,188 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $24,225 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,122 |
| $110,001+ | $29,410 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $21,129, and the $30,001-$48,000 band pays $24,188. Combined with Pell Grant eligibility and Nebraska state aid, this is workable but not generous. Over four years, low-income families face roughly $85,000-$97,000 in cost. The deal depends heavily on choosing one of Doane's stronger-payoff majors.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $24,225 and the $75,001-$110,000 band rises to $26,122. The grid is fairly compressed across these brackets. Middle-income families face roughly $97,000-$104,000 in four-year cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $29,410, still well below the $43,985 sticker thanks to merit aid. Over four years, high-income families absorb roughly $118,000. For these families, Doane is a values choice (small-college experience, religious tradition, athletic participation) rather than a pure financial decision.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Doane University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,983 | C+ |
| Psychology | $46,347 | D |
| Biology | $59,689 | D |
| Teacher Education | $53,163 | C+ |
| Special Education and Teaching | $54,733 | C+ |
| Accounting | $65,602 | C+ |
| Sociology | $48,705 | D |
| History | $54,475 | - |
| Human Services, General | $51,673 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $80,849 | C+ |
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, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is Doane's largest program at 54 graduates and one of the school's better-paying tracks. First-year earnings of $50,856 climb to $63,983 at four years, with $26,991 median debt producing a 0.53 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade. Earnings are solid for a small Plains-state private, with Lincoln and Omaha employers absorbing many graduates. A reasonable financial choice.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 29 students with $34,896 first-year and $46,347 four-year earnings. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D grade. Most psychology bachelor's grads need additional training to monetize the degree, and the four-year earnings reflect graduates in a mix of adjacent fields rather than clinical psychology proper.
Biology
Biology graduates 20 students with $35,302 first-year and $59,689 four-year earnings. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D grade. The four-year recovery suggests substantial graduate or professional school enrollment. Pre-health pathway students should treat undergraduate cost as the down payment on additional training.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 13 students with four-year earnings of $53,163. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.51 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ grade. A reasonable choice for mission-driven students with clear plans to stay in Nebraska schools.
Special Education and Teaching
Special Education graduates 8 students with four-year earnings of $54,733. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.49 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ grade. Special education teachers face strong demand statewide, and Nebraska districts often offer additional stipends or loan repayment incentives. A defensible pathway.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 65.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 72.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 72.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 80.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Doane 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 | 98.0% |
| Enrollment | 978 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 26.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,775 |
Doane University admits 98.0% of applicants, making it functionally open admission. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with the school's test-optional posture and modest national applicant pool. The 57.1% completion rate reflects this open-admission posture: roughly 43% of entering students do not finish in six years.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doane University (this school) | 42 | $26,364 | $53,316 |
| Clarkson College | 71 | $19,241 | $64,876 |
| Bellevue University | 65 | $17,550 | $61,289 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | 44 | $18,083 | $51,593 |
| American International College | 38 | $23,274 | $53,124 |
| Geneva College | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
Who Thrives Here
Doane enrolls 978 students with a 26.8% Pell rate, suggesting a primarily middle-class student body drawn from Nebraska and surrounding states. The fit profile is a Nebraska or regional Plains student wanting a small residential college experience with strong music, education, or business programs. The 57.1% completion rate signals room for improvement on student support, especially given the school's relatively low Pell rate. Outcomes are strongest for Business, Accounting, and CS students; weakest for psychology and soft-major graduates.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Doane University scores 42/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,364 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $53,316 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13.4 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 0.65 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $38,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65. 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.
Doane University: Common Questions
Is Doane University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Doane University scores 42/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,364 a year after aid against $53,316 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Doane 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 $26,364 a year, or roughly $105,456 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 Doane University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $53,316 ten years after enrolling, roughly $11,516 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 Doane 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 13.4 years for Doane University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Doane University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,000, against average earnings of $38,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65. 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 Doane University?
The six-year graduation rate is 57.1%. 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.