Earlham College
Richmond, Indiana · Private Nonprofit · 73.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 41/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Earlham College scores 41 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale. The headline numbers are blunt: $28,000 average 6-year earnings, a 15.1-year payback period, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.839. The school charges $53,930 in tuition with a $24,714 average net price. Earlham is a Quaker liberal arts college with 670 undergraduates. At $53,930 tuition with $28,000 average 6-year earnings, the financial case is genuinely difficult without a clear post-baccalaureate plan.
How Earlham 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 Score41/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period15.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Earlham College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $53,930/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $53,930/yr |
| Average net price | $24,714/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $98,856 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $50,797 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,488 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $249 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 69.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 670 |
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: $53,930/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,714/year, or roughly $98,856 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 $17,178/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $31,058/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,488, which works out to about $249 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($28,000) and comes to 0.84, 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 | $17,178 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,658 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,768 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,136 |
| $110,001+ | $31,058 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,178 net price per year at Earlham, and average 6-year earnings are $28,000. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays less at $15,658, an unusual inversion. Low-income students who gain admission to Earlham should think carefully about major and career trajectory: the institution's social justice and environmental focus can create meaningful post-graduate opportunities, but those often come with lower near-term earnings. The financial risk at $17k per year is real without a clear post-baccalaureate plan.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $19,768 per year; those earning $75,001-$110,000 pay $26,136. These are substantial costs relative to the $28,000 average 6-year earnings. Students paying $20-26k per year for four years accumulate total costs of $79-105k against an average 6-year earnings profile that will not make those payments easy. Earlham works financially for students with clear graduate school plans where the degree is a stepping stone, not a terminal credential.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $31,058 per year, totaling about $124,232 over four years. At this price and with $28,000 average 6-year earnings, the 15.1-year payback is uncomfortable on paper. Full-pay families considering Earlham should have a frank internal conversation about whether the student's career plan - graduate school, nonprofits, government, academia - is realistic and what the financial picture looks like beyond the Scorecard's 6-year window.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Earlham College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,745 | 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 the only Earlham program with sufficient Scorecard data: 19 graduates, $43,038 year-one, $60,745 year-four, ROI grade C, debt-to-earnings 0.627. Median debt of $27,000 against $43k starting salary is stretched. The four-year figure of $61k suggests adequate career progression for those who stay in business roles. This is the only program in the Scorecard data with a calculable ROI - most other Earlham programs lack sufficient graduate volume to generate reportable data.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 81.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 86.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 79.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 88.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Earlham 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 | 73.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 540-630 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 570-660 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 24-33 |
| Enrollment | 670 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 24.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,169 |
A 73.1% acceptance rate with an ACT spread of 24-33 indicates a broadly accessible admissions process. The wide test score range means Earlham is not selecting primarily on academic metrics. Prospective students should note that the 69% completion rate, while adequate, reflects some attrition - the admissions process does not filter sharply, and some students may find the small campus and Quaker culture is not the right fit after enrollment.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Earlham's $28,000 average 6-year earnings stand as the clearest caution.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlham College (this school) | 41 | $24,714 | $50,797 |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | 45 | $19,735 | $53,728 |
| Saint Elizabeth University | 41 | $23,125 | $53,038 |
| Parker University | 39 | $29,135 | $42,091 |
| Bethel University | 34 | $18,610 | $48,860 |
| Anderson University | 32 | $25,021 | $48,899 |
Who Thrives Here
Earlham admits 73.1% of applicants with SAT ranges of 540-630 Math and 570-660 Reading and ACT 24-33 composite. The wide ACT range (24-33) suggests a student body with significant variation in academic preparation. Earlham's campus experience is intensely communal. The Quaker values emphasis, strong study abroad programs, and social justice orientation attract a specific student profile. Earlham fits students who want a high-engagement small college experience with strong graduate school pipelines in humanities, social science, and environmental fields - and who have the financial or career clarity to justify private liberal arts tuition.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Earlham College scores 41/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,714 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $50,797 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.1 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 it has going for it: its 69.0% graduation rate, high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,488 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $28,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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.
Earlham College: Common Questions
Is Earlham College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Earlham College scores 41/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,714 a year after aid against $50,797 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Earlham 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 $24,714 a year, or roughly $98,856 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 Earlham College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $50,797 ten years after enrolling, roughly $8,997 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 Earlham 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 15.1 years for Earlham College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Earlham College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,488, against average earnings of $28,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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 Earlham College?
The six-year graduation rate is 69.0%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.