Emmanuel University
Franklin Springs, Georgia · Private Nonprofit · 74.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 12/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Emmanuel University earns the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of just 12 out of 100, with red-flag sub-scores across the board. Tuition is $25,500 per year and the average net price is $20,925, putting the four-year cost at $83,700. Median earnings 10 years after entry are just $38,208 - only a 3.8% premium over the average high school graduate, an exceptionally weak figure. The payback period is calculated at 69.7 years, which effectively means the typical Emmanuel graduate barely recoups their investment within a working lifetime. Median debt is $24,325 and the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.911 - graduates owe nearly a full year of earnings in debt. The completion rate is 42.3% (sub-score 25), meaning more than half of students do not finish. Emmanuel's identity is mission-driven (Pentecostal Christian liberal arts), which matters to its core constituency, but on the financial data this is a school where the math is genuinely difficult to make work.
How Emmanuel 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 Score12/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Emmanuel University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $25,500/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $25,500/yr |
| Average net price | $20,925/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $83,700 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,208 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,325 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $258 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 42.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 775 |
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: $25,500/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $20,925/year, or roughly $83,700 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 $17,735/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,674/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,325, which works out to about $258 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,700) and comes to 0.91, 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 | $17,735 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,687 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,817 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,592 |
| $110,001+ | $24,674 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,735 per year, and curiously the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less ($17,687) - a mild inversion. Over four years that's roughly $71,000. For low-income families this is a substantial investment with weak completion odds (42.3%) and weak earnings outcomes.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $19,817 per year, and $75,001-$110,000 pays $20,592. Over four years that's $79,000-$82,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning above $110,000 pay $24,674 per year, or roughly $99,000 over four years. At this near-sticker price point and with the school's weak earnings outcomes, Emmanuel makes essentially no financial sense for higher-income families; the appeal would have to be entirely about religious community and mission.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Emmanuel University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $43,435 | D |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $38,056 | 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 Emmanuel's largest reportable program with 31 graduates per year. Median earnings of $30,093 first year and $43,435 by year four against $26,000 of debt produce a 0.864 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. A business degree from Emmanuel does not produce competitive outcomes.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology graduates 20 students per year with a D ROI grade. First-year earnings are not reported, which itself signals weak placement. Four-year earnings of $38,056 against $26,670 of debt produce a 0.701 debt-to-earnings ratio. Kinesiology bachelor's credentials typically lead to graduate school for physical therapy, athletic training, or related licensures; without those graduate steps, earnings stagnate. Combined with Emmanuel's price point, this is not a financially defensible path.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 47.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 56.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 52.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 60.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Emmanuel 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 | 74.0% |
| Enrollment | 775 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,038 |
Emmanuel admits 74% of applicants. The 42.3% completion rate is the more concerning data point - substantial student attrition signals either academic preparation gaps, financial pressure forcing students out, or fit issues. Prospective students and families should treat this completion figure as a serious flag.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel University (this school) | 12 | $20,925 | $38,208 |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | 18 | $19,359 | $35,604 |
| Toccoa Falls College | 16 | $21,642 | $36,630 |
| Southwestern Christian University | 14 | $20,146 | $40,391 |
| Arlington Baptist University | 14 | $24,906 | $44,644 |
| Great Lakes Christian College | 12 | $15,524 | $31,053 |
Who Thrives Here
Emmanuel fits a narrow constituency: students from Pentecostal Christian backgrounds drawn to the school's mission, willing to accept weak financial outcomes for cultural and religious fit. Enrollment is just 775 students, the Pell rate is 28.7%, and the rural Franklin Springs, GA location is intimate but limits employer access. With only Kinesiology and Business as identified programs in the Scorecard data, students drawn to other fields would be enrolling in programs too small to generate published outcome data - itself a flag. This is fundamentally a religious-fit school, not a value choice.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Emmanuel University scores 12/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,925 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,208 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 42.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 56.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,325 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. 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.
Emmanuel University: Common Questions
Is Emmanuel University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Emmanuel University scores 12/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,925 a year after aid against $38,208 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Emmanuel 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 $20,925 a year, or roughly $83,700 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 Emmanuel University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,208 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 Emmanuel 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 more than 50 years for Emmanuel University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Emmanuel University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,325, against average earnings of $26,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. 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 Emmanuel University?
The six-year graduation rate is 42.3%. 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.