Five Towns College
Dix Hills, New York · Private For-Profit · 53.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 17/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Five Towns College earns a CampusROI score of 17 out of 100 and lands in the Below Benchmark tier. Almost every score component is flashing warning signs. The earnings-premium sub-score of 8 reflects a raw earnings premium of just 1% over high-school-only workers, meaning graduates of this small for-profit performing-arts college on Long Island earn essentially the same as people who never enrolled. The payback period reads 261.5 years, which is the model's way of saying earnings never realistically recoup the cost of attendance. Sticker tuition runs $30,250 a year, average net price after aid is $22,992, and four-year cost lands near $91,968 before housing or living expenses. Average earnings six years after entry are $26,300 and only reach a median $35,887 by year ten, with median debt of $21,500 producing an 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio. The one bright spot is the 55.3% completion rate, which is higher than many for-profits, but graduating into a market where median earnings barely clear $35,000 a decade later does not rescue the math. The repayment rate of 64.3% means roughly one in three borrowers is not actively paying down principal.
How Five Towns 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 Score17/100 - 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.
Five Towns College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $30,250/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $30,250/yr |
| Average net price | $22,992/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $91,968 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $35,887 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $228 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 55.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 547 |
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: $30,250/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,992/year, or roughly $91,968 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 $17,588/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,724/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $21,500, which works out to about $228 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,300) and comes to 0.82, 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 | $17,588 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $20,113 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $24,284 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,744 |
| $110,001+ | $27,724 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face an average net price of $17,588 per year, totaling roughly $70,400 over four years. Ten-year median earnings are $35,887, so low-income students should check how much they would borrow against that figure. The 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio across the school's median means low-income borrowers should expect significant repayment strain.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001 to $75,000 bracket pays $24,284 per year and the $75,001 to $110,000 bracket pays $26,744. Four-year totals are $97,000 to $107,000 before housing. At those numbers, middle-income families are paying close to sticker, and outcome data does not support the spend.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $27,724 per year, near full sticker. Four-year cost approaches $111,000. The cash math here only works for families who can self-fund.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Five Towns College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Music | $36,157 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $47,222 | 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.
Music
Music is the school's signature program and graduates 13 students per cohort. Year-one earnings of $25,315 climb only to $36,157 by year four. Median debt of $27,750 against those earnings produces a 1.10 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. This is the most honest data point on the page: even at this music-focused college, the median music graduate carries more debt than they earn in their fourth year. Music careers can pay off via project work, royalties, and gigs that don't show up in tax-record-based earnings, but the on-paper return is poor.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business at Five Towns shows year-one earnings of $25,792 rising to $47,222 by year four, the strongest four-year earnings figure on campus. Median debt of $25,573 against those earnings produces a 0.99 ratio and a D ROI grade.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 57.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 64.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 50.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 59.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Five Towns 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 | 53.8% |
| Enrollment | 547 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 34.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,870 |
Five Towns admits 53.8% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. The lack of reported test bands makes it hard to calibrate academic preparation, and the modest 55.3% completion rate suggests that the audition-driven admit screen does not always translate into students who finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Towns College (this school) | 17 | $22,992 | $35,887 |
| LIM College | 43 | $38,667 | $58,956 |
| Brookline College-Albuquerque | 24 | $37,459 | $29,576 |
| University of Silicon Valley | 23 | $27,815 | $51,017 |
| Berkeley College-New York | 16 | $34,124 | $45,884 |
| Provo College | 14 | $27,053 | $39,645 |
Who Thrives Here
Borrowing students should run the math hard. With ten-year median earnings of $35,887, a $21,500 federal loan balance is durable but tight, and the 8% earnings-premium score should be a flashing warning for anyone weighing this against a community college music program.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Five Towns College scores 17/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,992 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $35,887 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 64.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $21,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. 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.
Five Towns College: Common Questions
Is Five Towns College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Five Towns College scores 17/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,992 a year after aid against $35,887 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 Five Towns 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 $22,992 a year, or roughly $91,968 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 Five Towns College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $35,887 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 Five Towns 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 more than 50 years for Five Towns College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Five Towns College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $21,500, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. 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 Five Towns College?
The six-year graduation rate is 55.3%. 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.