Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies
Springfield, Missouri · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 24/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Drury University's College of Continuing Professional Studies (CCPS) is the adult-learner branch of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, scoring 24 on the CampusROI scale - deep in the Below Benchmark tier. Outcomes are weak: 10-year median earnings of $40,694 produce just a 13.5% earnings premium (sub-score 25) and a 32-year payback period (sub-score 16). Median debt of $20,979 against those earnings yields a 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 31). Repayment at 64.4% (sub-score 25) is mediocre, and the 43.2% completion rate (sub-score 27) is weak. The honest read: CCPS serves a working-adult population (64% Pell-eligible) seeking a credential rather than a traditional college experience, and the financial outcomes reflect that the resulting earnings boost is modest.
How Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies 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 Score24/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period32 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $8,054/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $8,054/yr |
| Average net price | $10,566/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $42,264 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $40,694 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,979 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $222 |
| Estimated payback period | 32 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 43.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 632 |
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: $8,054/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 $10,566/year, or roughly $42,264 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 $9,291/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $13,948/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,979, which works out to about $222 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,400) and comes to 0.69, 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 | $9,291 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $11,756 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $10,486 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $12,937 |
| $110,001+ | $13,948 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,291 net annually, notably below the $30,001-$48,000 bracket's $11,756 - an inverted bracket worth flagging. Over four years that is roughly $37,000 of cost. For Pell-eligible Missouri students, federal aid plus state aid (Access Missouri Grant) helps, but the 32-year payback period and 64% repayment rate signal that even modest borrowing tends to lead to long-term repayment difficulty.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households at $48,001-$75,000 pay $10,486 - below the $30,001-$48,000 bracket's $11,756, another inversion. The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $12,937, restoring the expected progression. These prices are low absolutely but the math is still hard given $40,694 of 10-year earnings and the 32-year payback period. Cash-flow funding rather than borrowing is the only sensible play.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $13,948 net, or about $56,000 over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $52,286 | C |
| Psychology | $42,425 | D |
| Teacher Education | $37,713 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $47,695 | D |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $47,160 | - |
| Human Services, General | $39,257 | F |
| History | $41,996 | D |
| English Language and Literature | $35,543 | F |
| Biology | $49,387 | D |
| Sociology | $43,676 | 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, Management, and Operations
Business is CCPS's largest cohort at 32 graduates per year. Graduates earn $43,374 at one year and $52,286 at four years against $27,000 of debt - a 0.62 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C grade. This is the strongest ROI track at CCPS by a meaningful margin. Career paths span small-business management, regional retail/hospitality operations, and adult-credential paths within Springfield-area firms. Students should treat this as the default major if pursuing a CCPS degree.
Psychology
Psychology is the second-largest cohort at 30 graduates per year. Graduates earn $34,095 at one year and $42,425 at four years against $27,937 of debt - a 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D grade. As is typical for bachelor's psychology, well-paid clinical paths require master's or doctoral training. For working-adult students, this is often pursued as a personal-interest credential rather than a career-launching degree.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates earn $31,726 at one year and $37,713 at four years against $26,262 of debt - a 0.83 ratio and a D grade. With 21 graduates per year this is a meaningful adult-learner track, often pursued by paraprofessionals seeking certification. Missouri public-school teaching salaries are constrained; PSLF eligibility is important for graduates entering K-12 teaching.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates earn $38,014 at one year and $47,695 at four years against $34,000 of debt - a 0.89 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D grade. With 17 graduates per year this cohort is often filled by working law-enforcement personnel pursuing promotion-eligible credentials. The high debt load relative to public-sector earnings ceilings makes the math tight.
Human Services, General
Human Services graduates earn $30,564 at one year and $39,257 at four years against $33,492 of debt - a 1.10 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F grade. Debt exceeds annual earnings, which is structurally hard to recover from. Career paths typically lead to social services, case management, and nonprofit work where compensation is constrained; PSLF eligibility for nonprofit/government roles is the most important financial factor.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 56.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 64.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 50.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 55.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2018-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 632 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 64.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,409 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, which is consistent with continuing-education and adult-learner programs that typically operate on a rolling-admissions, credit-evaluation model rather than competitive selection. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are likewise unreported. The 43.2% completion rate is the dominant data point and signals significant attrition typical of working-adult programs.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies (this school) | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Bethany College | 25 | $18,605 | $44,512 |
| Grace Christian University | 24 | $12,404 | $41,663 |
| Greensboro College | 24 | $17,882 | $46,566 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
With 632 students and a 64.1% Pell rate, CCPS serves a heavily Pell-eligible adult-learner population in southwest Missouri. The largest cohort is business administration (32 graduates per year) at $52,286 four-year earnings, followed by psychology (30 graduates) and teacher education (21 graduates). The student profile is fundamentally different from a traditional 18-22 residential population.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies scores 24/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $10,566 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $40,694 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 32 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 43.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 64.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,979 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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.
Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies: Common Questions
Is Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies scores 24/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $10,566 a year after aid against $40,694 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 32 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies 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 $10,566 a year, or roughly $42,264 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 Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $40,694 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies?
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 32 years for Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,979, against average earnings of $30,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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 Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies?
The six-year graduation rate is 43.2%. 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.