Fisk University
Nashville, Tennessee · Private Nonprofit · 37.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 14/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Fisk University earns a CampusROI score of 14 out of 100 and lands in the Below Benchmark tier on financial metrics, with the strong caveat that Fisk is a historically significant private HBCU in Nashville and the financial picture has to be read alongside its mission and graduate-school feeder role. The school has produced disproportionate numbers of Black PhDs, physicians, and federal-judiciary alumni for over 150 years, and Fisk's most successful graduates pursue post-baccalaureate study where their earnings story unfolds. The Scorecard data only captures earnings of students with the school as their highest credential. With that context: sticker tuition is $25,858 but average net price after aid is actually higher at $32,020, indicating that fees, room and board, and other charges layered on top push the effective cost above tuition alone. Four-year cost lands at $128,080. Average earnings six years out are $26,000 and reach a median $45,454 by year ten, with the 1.04 debt-to-earnings ratio against $27,000 in debt earning a sub-score of 5. The 29.9% completion rate is the second-weakest sub-score (10), and the 56.9% repayment rate also lags. The honest read: Fisk is a graduate-school pipeline and a culturally important institution; the immediate-earnings data does not reflect the full long-term value, but it also does not justify heavy borrowing for students without graduate-school plans.
How Fisk 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 Score14/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.04 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate29.9% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period25.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Fisk University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $25,858/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $25,858/yr |
| Average net price | $32,020/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $128,080 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,454 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 25.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 29.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,035 |
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: $25,858/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 $32,020/year, or roughly $128,080 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 $27,647/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,678/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,000) and comes to 1.04, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $27,647 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $32,474 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $34,204 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $34,974 |
| $110,001+ | $26,678 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face an average net price of $27,647 per year, totaling roughly $110,600 across four years. With ten-year median earnings of $45,454, this is genuinely difficult to recover labor-market-wise without a graduate degree. Federal Pell, TN HOPE, and Fisk-specific scholarships can close some of the gap but the residual cost requires significant borrowing.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001 to $75,000 bracket pays $34,204 per year and the $75,001 to $110,000 bracket pays $34,974, the highest cost on the page. Four-year totals are $136,800 to $139,900. The aid curve flattens almost completely across middle brackets, indicating very limited institutional aid to deploy.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 actually pay LESS at $26,678 per year than every middle bracket above $30,000, a sharp inversion worth flagging. Four-year cost is roughly $106,700.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Fisk University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $50,768 | - |
| Psychology | $57,147 | C+ |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,733 | 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.
Biology
Biology is the largest reported program at 33 graduates per cohort. Year-one earnings and debt are not reported but year-four earnings reach $50,768. Biology at Fisk is structurally a pre-medical and pre-doctoral pipeline, and many graduates' true outcomes only register after they complete MD, PhD, or DO programs that the Scorecard data does not capture. The on-paper number understates the program's real economic and mission value.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 23 students per cohort with year-four earnings of $57,147. Median debt of $26,500 produces a 0.46 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade, the strongest reported program outcome. Like Biology, Psychology at Fisk is a pre-graduate pipeline. Graduates entering counseling-psych or clinical-psych doctorates see far stronger long-run outcomes than the Scorecard captures.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business shows year-one earnings of $38,089 climbing to $63,733 by year four. With $26,120 in debt, the 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio earns a C ROI grade. Graduate counts are not reported.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 49.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 56.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 43.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 41.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Fisk 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 | 37.4% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 570-790 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 570-720 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 19-24 |
| Enrollment | 1,035 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 51.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,116 |
Fisk admits 37.4% of applicants. Reported SAT mid-ranges run 570 to 790 in math and 570 to 720 in reading; ACT composite is 19 to 24. The math 75th percentile of 790 is unusually high and likely reflects a small cohort of high-scoring applicants targeting Fisk's pre-medical and pre-doctoral pipelines. The selective admit combined with a 29.9% completion rate suggests the admit screen captures academic preparation but the school struggles to retain students through to the bachelor's, with many transferring or pausing.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisk University (this school) | 14 | $32,020 | $45,454 |
| Oakwood University | 14 | $25,669 | $42,488 |
| Albany State University | 14 | $11,898 | $40,674 |
| Clark Atlanta University | 14 | $37,702 | $42,712 |
| Jackson State University | 14 | $23,836 | $39,060 |
| Wilberforce University | 14 | $5,567 | $38,298 |
Who Thrives Here
Fisk serves about 1,035 students with a 51.8% Pell rate. The fit case is genuine for academically prepared students, particularly Black students, seeking a small, mission-aligned HBCU experience with strong feeder pathways into PhD, MD, and JD programs. The Music Department and Jubilee Singers tradition draw national talent. Career-direct students focused on immediate earnings should weigh the 29.9% completion rate and the 56.9% repayment rate carefully. Borrowing levels are worth checking against the Scorecard earnings data.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Fisk University scores 14/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $32,020 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,454 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 25.6 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 29.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.04 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 56.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.04. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Fisk University: Common Questions
Is Fisk University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Fisk University scores 14/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $32,020 a year after aid against $45,454 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 25.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Fisk 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 $32,020 a year, or roughly $128,080 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 Fisk University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,454 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,654 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 Fisk 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 25.6 years for Fisk University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Fisk University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $26,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.04. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Fisk University?
The six-year graduation rate is 29.9%. 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.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
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.