Gnomon
North Hollywood, California · Private For-Profit · 41.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 78/100 · Strong Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Gnomon scores 78 (Strong Value) on the CampusROI scale - a notable result for a small private for-profit school in North Hollywood, California specializing in visual effects, game design, and digital arts. The score rests on a 4.4-year payback period and a 10-year median earnings figure of $114,785. The 6-year average earnings figure is not reported by the Scorecard. The completion rate of 100% is the headline: Scorecard reports a 1.0 completion rate, which is exceptional - and at a school of 294 enrolled students, this may reflect very selective ongoing enrollment and attrition before the official counting window. Two key metrics - debt-to-earnings ratio and repayment rate - are not reported, both imputed at score 50. This limits confidence in the overall ROI score. Tuition is $37,635 with a net price of $51,949 - higher than tuition, reflecting fees and living costs included in the net price calculation. Net price by income is only partially reported: $0-30,000 and $30,001-48,000 brackets are null. Median debt is $28,332. Gnomon has no program-level earnings data in the Scorecard programs array. What the data shows: graduates who persist to completion earn $114,785 at ten years, the payback is relatively short, and the school places into the entertainment industry's technical pipeline in Los Angeles. What it cannot show: the full distribution of outcomes for students who start but do not complete, and the competitive attrition of the entertainment industry itself.
The median graduate earns $114,785 ten years after entry - well above the roughly $53,600 median across the schools we score.
Gnomon
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $37,635/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $37,635/yr |
| Average net price | $51,949/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $207,796 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $114,785 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | N/A |
| Median debt at graduation | $28,332 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $300 |
| Estimated payback period | 4.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 100.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 294 |
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: $37,635/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 $51,949/year, or roughly $207,796 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 N/A/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $54,947/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $28,332, which works out to about $300 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. We do not have the six-year earnings figure needed to work out a debt-to-earnings ratio for this school.
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 | N/A |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $49,286 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $50,947 |
| $110,001+ | $54,947 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Net price data for the 0-30000 income bracket is not reported by the Scorecard for Gnomon. Low-income students considering Gnomon should request detailed, binding cost information from the school before enrolling - the missing data is a meaningful gap.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 48001-75000 bracket pays $49,286 per year and the 75001-110000 bracket pays $50,947. Net prices barely vary across brackets, indicating Gnomon's financial aid does not meaningfully differentiate by income. Middle-income families paying $49,000-51,000 per year - roughly $200,000 over four years - are making a significant bet on entertainment industry outcomes. The $114,785 ten-year earnings figure can justify this cost for graduates who achieve senior industry roles, but the path is not linear.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $54,947 per year - roughly $220,000 over four years. The 4.4-year payback period suggests this can be recovered in a reasonable timeframe for graduates who reach the ten-year earnings level of $114,785. The entertainment industry's highly competitive and geographically concentrated nature means outcomes are skewed: some graduates achieve high earnings while others do not advance past entry-level roles. The aggregate figure masks this dispersion.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 83.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 76.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Gnomon’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 41.8% |
| Enrollment | 294 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 10.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $11,289 |
At 41.8%, Gnomon is moderately selective. Portfolio quality and demonstrated technical aptitude likely drive admissions. The 100% Scorecard completion rate is unusual and may reflect a combination of genuine support and attrition filtering before the official measurement window. Prospective students should ask directly about first-to-second-year retention rates.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gnomon (this school) | 78 | $51,949 | $114,785 |
| West Coast University-Texas | 76 | $25,992 | $102,672 |
| West Coast University-Miami | 76 | $32,539 | $102,672 |
| Chamberlain University-Ohio | 73 | $31,544 | $92,405 |
| University of Silicon Valley | 23 | $27,815 | $51,017 |
| Academy of Art University | 10 | $40,613 | $39,008 |
Who Thrives Here
Gnomon admits 41.8% of applicants. With only 294 enrolled students, each cohort is small and highly focused. Pell rate of 10.8% is low, reflecting that most students are not from low-income backgrounds. SAT and ACT data are not reported. The school attracts students with serious intentions to enter the visual effects, game art, and animation industries based in the Los Angeles entertainment ecosystem. Students who complete - and the data suggests Gnomon has very high completion among those who remain enrolled - access an industry with significant earning potential at the senior level.
The Verdict: The Investment Pays Off
For most students, Gnomon pays off. You'd pay about $51,949 a year after aid ($207,796 over four years), and the typical graduate earns $114,785 ten years after enrollment. That puts the payback - the time it takes for the earnings bump to cover what you spent - at roughly 4.4 years, a solid return.
What it has going for it: a strong earnings premium over high school graduates, its 100.0% graduation rate.
Gnomon: Common Questions
Is Gnomon worth it?
In our view, yes - for most students Gnomon pays off. It scores 78/100 on our ROI scale. You'd pay about $51,949 a year after aid ($207,796 over four years), and the typical graduate earns $114,785 ten years after enrollment, so the cost takes roughly 4.4 years to earn back.
How much does Gnomon 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 $51,949 a year, or roughly $207,796 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 Gnomon graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $114,785 ten years after enrolling, roughly $72,985 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 Gnomon?
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 4.4 years for Gnomon. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Gnomon?
The six-year graduation rate is 100.0%, 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.