Drew University
Madison, New Jersey · Private Nonprofit · 67.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 63/100 · Fair Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Drew University earns a Fair Value ROI score of 63 on the strength of three things: a 70.5% completion rate (genuinely good for a small private), an 8.3-year payback period (the strongest sub-score on this profile), and 10-year median earnings of $63,646 - a real number reflecting Drew's New Jersey/New York metro placement advantage. The 80.6% three-year repayment rate is solid and the 29.5% earnings premium versus a high school baseline is meaningful. The drag is debt-to-earnings: 0.699 produces a thin 29 sub-score, reflecting heavy borrowing. Sticker tuition is $47,100, but net price drops to $24,280 thanks to deep discounting; median student debt is $25,288. The school is a classic small NJ liberal-arts private (1,533 students) where graduates benefit enormously from proximity to NYC employers - especially in finance, consulting, and education. Six-year median earnings of $36,200 are modest, but the gap between 6-year and 10-year ($63,646) is one of the wider trajectories in the dataset, suggesting graduates do find better roles after a few years of experience.
Drew University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $47,100/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $47,100/yr |
| Average net price | $24,280/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $97,120 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $63,646 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,288 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $268 |
| Estimated payback period | 8.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 70.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,533 |
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: $47,100/year. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,280/year, or roughly $97,120 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 $15,224/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $35,512/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $25,288 in federal loans, which works out to about $268 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $63,646 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.70, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
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 | $15,224 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,697 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,916 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,947 |
| $110,001+ | $35,512 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $15,224 net annually - a deep discount from sticker. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $15,697, almost identical, indicating Drew's institutional aid flattens the lowest two tiers. Over four years that's roughly $61K out of pocket, which against $63,646 median 10-year earnings begins to pencil. Federal aid plus Drew institutional grants do real work here.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $20,916 - meaningfully more than lower brackets. This is where the value math feels tightest: not enough Pell to anchor aid, but not yet at the sticker-paying tier. Over four years that's $84K out of pocket, requiring strong major selection (business, computer science) to keep the ROI positive.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Top-bracket families ($110,001+) pay $35,512 net per year - well above the school's average net price and approaching three-quarters of sticker. This is the tier where Drew's value case gets hardest: $142K over four years against earnings outcomes that, while solid, don't dominate cheaper public alternatives like Rutgers or TCNJ for in-state NJ students.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Drew University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $76,232 | C |
| Psychology | $65,997 | B |
| Biology | $58,620 | F |
| English Language and Literature | $58,452 | D |
| International Relations | $66,965 | D |
| Computer Science | $47,689 | C+ |
| Economics | $90,814 | D |
| Sociology | $60,261 | F |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $28,881 | D |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $38,562 | F |
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 Drew's largest program at 52 graduates per year. Median earnings of $40,242 first-year and $76,232 four-year show the classic Drew trajectory - modest start, strong climb. Median debt of $26,111 yields a 0.649 ratio (C grade). For students leveraging the NYC metro placement pipeline, this is the most reliable mainstream financial bet on campus.
Psychology
Psychology (34 graduates) earns a B grade with $65,997 four-year earnings against $26,059 median debt (0.395 ratio). First-year earnings aren't reported but psychology graduates typically need 3-5 years and graduate study to reach these earnings levels. The B grade is one of the cleaner outcomes among Drew's humanities-adjacent programs.
Economics
Economics (18 graduates) shows the widest first-year-to-four-year jump on campus: $33,639 first-year climbs to $90,814 four-year. Median debt of $26,914 yields a 0.800 first-year ratio (D grade), which understates the long-term value because economics is a delayed-payoff degree. Strong choice for students confident they can land NYC finance or consulting roles after building experience.
English Language and Literature
English (27 graduates) posts $32,279 first-year and $58,452 four-year earnings. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.836 ratio - a D grade because borrowing is heavy relative to early-career earnings. The trajectory improves over time, but students choosing this path should plan for graduate school (law, MFA, education) to make the borrowing make financial sense.
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Drama (11 graduates) posts the school's worst ROI: $13,710 first-year earnings against $27,000 median debt yields a 1.969 debt-to-earnings ratio - debt is nearly double income - and an F grade. Four-year earnings of $38,562 don't redeem the picture. This is a passion-driven program where most graduates need supplemental income paths; it should not be chosen on a financial basis.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 75.1% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 80.6% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 78.3% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 85.2% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Drew University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2023).
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 | 67.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 533-650 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 570-688 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 24-30 |
| Enrollment | 1,533 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,405 |
Drew admits 67.8% of applicants - moderately selective. SAT mid-ranges (math 533-650, reading 570-688) and ACT 24-30 indicate a solidly prepared student body, comfortably above national medians. The pairing of a 67.8% admit rate with a 70.5% completion rate is a healthy match: admitted students tend to finish, which is the hallmark of well-calibrated selectivity. For prepared students this is an accessible private with real academic substance.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Peers include Caldwell University and Centenary University (both NJ small privates with similar program mixes), AdventHealth University, Concordia University Irvine, and Wheaton College Massachusetts. Among NJ peers, Drew's 10-year earnings of $63,646 outperform Caldwell and Centenary by $5K-$10K, reflecting Drew's stronger NYC metro placement pipeline. Wheaton MA is the closest national comparison and posts similar earnings but slightly weaker debt-to-earnings ratios. Drew sits in the upper half of this peer set largely on the strength of its location and network.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew University (this school) | 63 | $24,280 | $63,646 |
| Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | 64 | $29,822 | $67,725 |
| AdventHealth University | 63 | $30,135 | $72,282 |
| Concordia University-Irvine | 62 | $28,115 | $65,083 |
| Centenary University | 53 | $20,503 | $53,726 |
| Caldwell University | 40 | $24,691 | $53,843 |
Who Thrives Here
Drew is small (1,533 students), moderately Pell (28.9%), and explicitly liberal-arts in identity. Best fit: students drawn to a residential undergraduate experience in suburban NJ with NYC access, who plan to convert that location into internships and roles in finance, education, public policy, or business. The wide gap between 6-year and 10-year earnings means graduates need patience - early careers can feel modest, but the network and location pay off. Mismatch: students taking on heavy debt for low-earning humanities tracks (drama, sociology, biology) face structurally tough math here despite the school's overall solid score.
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
Drew University is a fair-value bet, but how well it pays off depends a lot on you. At $24,280 a year after aid ($97,120 over four years), with the typical graduate earning $63,646 a decade out, the cost takes about 8.3 years to earn back. That's roughly average - not a bargain, not a mistake.
What it has going for it: its 70.5% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: high debt relative to what graduates earn.
Median debt of $25,288 against $63,646 in earnings is reasonable, though your major matters a lot here. Graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
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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.