Great Lakes Christian College
Lansing, Michigan · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 12/100 · Poor Value
Great Lakes Christian College earns a 12 ROI score — among the lowest in the Poor Value tier — though as a small ministry-training institution, this score must be read in the context of the school's vocational focus rather than as a conventional earnings critique. Tuition is $19,520, net price after aid is $15,524, and four-year total cost runs $62,096. The headline anomaly: median earnings ten years out are just $31,053, actually below typical high-school-graduate earnings — earnings premium is negative at -0.064 and the payback period registers as 999 years, meaning earnings never recoup cost. Median debt of $18,779 against $31,053 earnings produces a 0.907 debt-to-earnings ratio. Completion is 36%. Repayment data is partially imputed. The honest read: GLCC trains students for ministry roles in Christian Churches/Churches of Christ congregations where compensation is structurally modest. Conventional ROI is severely negative; mission-fit ROI may be the metric students should evaluate instead.
The data raises concerns about Great Lakes Christian College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score12/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate36.0% - Well below the 60% national average. Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
- Payback period>50 years - Graduates earn at or near the level of high school completers — the cost may not recoup within a working career.
Great Lakes Christian College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $19,520/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $19,520/yr |
| Average net price | $15,524/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $62,096 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $31,053 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $20,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $18,779 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $199 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 36.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 197 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The sticker price at Great Lakes Christian College is $19,520/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $15,524/year, or roughly $62,096 over four years.
That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $12,510/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,553/year.
The median graduate leaves with $18,779 in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $199 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $31,053 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.91 - within the recommended range but worth monitoring.
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 | $12,510 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,854 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,394 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $18,309 |
| $110,001+ | $21,553 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $12,510 per year — the lowest bracket. Combined with Pell, the effective cost is modest, though still meaningful against a $31,053 ten-year earnings median. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays more at $16,854 — a notable inversion that suggests aid is concentrated at the very bottom of the income distribution.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $14,394, lower than the $30,001-$48,000 bracket — another inversion. The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $18,309. These non-monotonic net-price patterns suggest GLCC's aid awards are erratic or driven by program-specific scholarships rather than predictable need-based formulas. Families should run multiple net-price calculator scenarios.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $21,553 — actually more than the $19,520 sticker tuition, reflecting how room and board push net price above pure-tuition figures. At full-pay, the conventional ROI math is severely negative; only mission fit justifies this price point.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 39.2% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 51.6% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 197 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 53.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,828 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data for Great Lakes Christian College, and no SAT/ACT mid-ranges are published. Bible colleges of this size and denominational specificity typically operate as open-admissions with faith-statement and pastor-reference requirements rather than academic selectivity. The 36% completion rate suggests that even with mission-fit filtering, persistence is a challenge — possibly tied to the modest career outcomes ahead and the financial pressure many students face.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
GLCC's assigned peer set is poorly matched: Adrian College and Albion College are far stronger small Michigan liberal-arts schools; Montserrat College of Art and Art Academy of Cincinnati are urban arts institutions. Crowley's Ridge College is the closest natural peer — another small Christian-Churches-of-Christ Bible college. Better natural peers would include other Restoration Movement Bible colleges like Boise Bible College or Cincinnati Christian University. Against the assigned set, GLCC's 12 ROI is dramatically below all of them.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes Christian College (this school) | 12 | $15,524 | $31,053 |
| 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 |
| Emmanuel University | 12 | $20,925 | $38,208 |
Who Thrives Here
With 197 students and a 53.1% Pell rate, GLCC serves a small, working-class evangelical student body — predominantly from Christian Churches/Churches of Christ congregations preparing for pastoral, youth-ministry, missionary, or worship-leader vocations. Strong fit: students with a clear ministry calling and family/church support for that path. Poor fit: students who haven't committed to ministry or who need a marketable secular credential. The conventional ROI math is brutal at any income level; this is genuinely a mission-driven institution where students should not be optimizing for earnings.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
The financial data raises serious concerns about Great Lakes Christian College. With a net cost of $15,524 per year and median graduate earnings of only $31,053 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost.
Areas of concern include weak earnings relative to cost and a 36.0% graduation rate and high debt relative to what graduates earn and a long payback period.
Median debt of $18,779 against $31,053 in earnings is reasonable, though major choice matters significantly. Students in higher-earning programs will see better returns.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
New analyses, updated school profiles, and tools - when there’s 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.