Geneva College
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 38/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Geneva College, a small Reformed-Presbyterian liberal-arts college in western Pennsylvania, scores 38 out of 100 on ROI, landing in the Below Benchmark tier. The mixed picture: completion (61%) and repayment (78%) are both reasonably healthy and pull the score up, but earnings drag everything else down. Median debt of $25,198 against $35,600 produces a 0.708 debt-to-earnings ratio. Payback period is 16.2 years, reflecting modest earnings against a $103,560 four-year cost. Net price after institutional aid is $25,890, meaningfully below sticker but still substantial. The earnings premium over a high-school baseline is just 0.145 - which is the binding constraint here. Geneva delivers a coherent Christian liberal-arts experience and has decent persistence numbers, but the earnings outcomes for its degree mix do not yet justify the price for ROI-focused students.
How Geneva 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 Score38/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period16.2 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Geneva College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,450/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,450/yr |
| Average net price | $25,890/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $103,560 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $50,004 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $35,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,198 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $267 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 61.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,096 |
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: $33,450/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,890/year, or roughly $103,560 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 $20,283/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $34,864/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,198, which works out to about $267 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($35,600) and comes to 0.71, 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 | $20,283 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,089 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,079 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,361 |
| $110,001+ | $34,864 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $20,283 net annually - meaningful institutional aid, but not enough to make this affordable on Pell + state grants alone. Four-year exposure of about $81,000 against $35,600 average 6-year earnings is tight; loan repayment will be slow. Geneva is most defensible at this income tier when the student commits to the engineering or business track.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays the lowest net price at $15,089 - the school's institutional-aid sweet spot. The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $16,079, and $75,001-$110,000 jumps to $20,361. This is one of the rarer cases where lower-middle income families get the best deal. Four-year cost of about $60,000-$81,000 against the earnings profile is still tight but workable for an engineering, HR, or business graduate.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $34,864 net - effectively above the $33,450 sticker tuition once room/board factor in, with virtually no institutional aid. Four-year cost approaches $140,000.
Earnings by Major
Top 9 most popular majors at Geneva College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering, General | $75,535 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,407 | C+ |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $70,610 | C |
| Accounting | $63,742 | - |
| Psychology | $44,857 | C+ |
| Teacher Education | $49,327 | D |
| Communication and Media Studies | $42,458 | - |
| Human Resources Management | $70,177 | C+ |
| Human Services, General | $41,383 | - |
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.
Engineering, General
Engineering is Geneva's strongest ROI program: $62,486 first-year earnings climbing to $75,535 by year four, $27,000 median debt, and a 0.432 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a B grade. Cohort is 28 graduates - meaningful for a college this small. Pittsburgh-area manufacturing and energy employers absorb graduates well. For ROI-focused families, this is the program that justifies the price tag at Geneva.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business admin posts $52,264 first-year earnings, $60,407 by year four, with $27,000 median debt and a 0.517 ratio for a C+ grade. Twenty-five graduates per cohort makes this the second meaningful program. The liberal-arts framing and small-class environment differentiate this from larger state-school business programs, but the earnings outcomes don't quite justify the private-college premium for non-engineering students.
Computer and Information Sciences
CIS produces 22 graduates with $45,323 first-year earnings rising sharply to $70,610 by year four, $26,000 median debt, and a 0.574 debt-to-earnings ratio for a C grade. The year-four earnings jump is meaningful - suggesting either strong career progression or graduates moving into Pittsburgh tech roles after initial placements.
Human Resources Management
HR Management posts surprisingly strong outcomes for a small specialty: $56,414 first-year earnings, $70,177 by year four, $30,000 median debt, and a 0.532 ratio for a C+ grade. Cohort is small at 8 graduates. The earnings figures here exceed business administration - worth flagging to prospective business-school students considering specialization.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education shows the structural ROI pressure on the field: $33,818 first-year earnings, $49,327 by year four, $24,250 debt, and a 0.717 ratio for a D grade. Nine graduates. Pennsylvania teacher salaries in early-career are similar to the national pattern - modest. Students drawn to teaching at Geneva should plan financially around the long earnings ramp and consider PSLF eligibility from day one.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 74.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 78.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 78.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Geneva 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
| Enrollment | 1,096 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,481 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and SAT/ACT mid-ranges are also missing. The 61% completion rate is solidly above the open-access average and suggests the college is selecting reasonably prepared applicants and supporting them adequately to graduation. Prospective students should request the Common Data Set directly for prep-band detail.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva College (this school) | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
| Albright College | 56 | $20,024 | $58,700 |
| Huntington University | 38 | $19,310 | $46,672 |
| Lesley University | 38 | $31,152 | $51,173 |
| Midland University | 38 | $26,267 | $52,163 |
| Bryn Athyn College of the New Church | 34 | $20,586 | $40,457 |
Who Thrives Here
Geneva fits students seeking a small Reformed Christian community (1,096 enrollment) in a residential setting outside Pittsburgh. Pell grant rate is 31.24% - moderate working/middle-class skew. The school's strongest ROI tracks are engineering, HR management, and business administration; students drawn to those fields and to the faith-based community will find their dollar best spent. Students considering humanities or communication tracks should weight the $25,898 net price carefully against $35,600 average earnings.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Geneva College scores 38/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $25,890 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $50,004 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16.2 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 0.71 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,198 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $35,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. 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.
Geneva College: Common Questions
Is Geneva College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Geneva College scores 38/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $25,890 a year after aid against $50,004 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Geneva 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 $25,890 a year, or roughly $103,560 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 Geneva College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $50,004 ten years after enrolling, roughly $8,204 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 Geneva 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 16.2 years for Geneva College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Geneva College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,198, against average earnings of $35,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. 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 Geneva College?
The six-year graduation rate is 61.0%. 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.