Greensboro College
Greensboro, North Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 70.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 24/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Greensboro College scores 24 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale, driven by a combination of signals that should concern prospective students directly: a 46.2% completion rate, an 18.3-year payback period, average 6-year earnings of $30,100, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.851. Fewer than half of students who enroll graduate within the standard window. Median debt stands at $25,607 against $30,100 in average earnings six years out, which leaves little room for financial recovery. The repayment rate at year one is 46.9%, meaning the majority of borrowers are not reducing their principal after leaving the institution. Net price of $17,882 sounds modest against the $21,000 tuition, but with earnings this low, even that figure creates a long payback. Program data is thin: only four programs have sufficient Scorecard data, with Business Information Systems showing the most defensible outcome at a C grade. The college enrolls just 708 students, with a high Pell grant rate of 46.1%, indicating a predominantly low-income population that may be least able to absorb these outcomes.
How Greensboro 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 Score24/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period18.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Greensboro College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,000/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,000/yr |
| Average net price | $17,882/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $71,528 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,566 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,607 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $271 |
| Estimated payback period | 18.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 708 |
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: $21,000/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $17,882/year, or roughly $71,528 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 $13,877/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,075/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,607, which works out to about $271 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,100) and comes to 0.85, 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 | $13,877 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,361 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,614 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,248 |
| $110,001+ | $27,075 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families in the $0-$30,000 income bracket pay $13,877 net price per year at Greensboro College - the lowest in the income schedule. Over four years that totals roughly $55,500. With average 6-year earnings of $30,100 and a 46.2% completion rate, many low-income students will either not graduate or will graduate into earnings near $30,100. The net price is low in absolute terms.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Families in the $48,001-$75,000 bracket pay $15,614 per year, totaling roughly $62,500 over four years. The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $21,248, which is actually higher than the sticker price net of aid, indicating Greensboro's aid is poorly targeted to middle-income families. With average earnings of $30,100, the payback math is difficult at any income band above the lowest.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families in the $110,001+ bracket pay $27,075 per year - about $108,000 over four years. Given average 6-year earnings of $30,100 and a 46.2% completion rate, this is a poor expected return for a high-income family paying near-full price.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Greensboro College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Information Systems | $59,215 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $27,624 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $56,598 | - |
| Teacher Education | $43,963 | F |
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.
Business Information Systems
Business Information Systems is the strongest-performing program in Greensboro's Scorecard data: 17 graduates, $42,816 median year-one earnings, $59,215 at year four, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.631 (ROI grade C). These are the best relative outcomes in the school's program set, though median debt of $27,000 against these earnings still demands careful budgeting. Year-four growth to nearly $60,000 suggests reasonable career trajectory for a business technology field.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology and Exercise Science shows weak returns: 14 graduates, $27,624 median year-one earnings, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.977 (ROI grade D) and median debt of $27,000. Year-four earnings data is not reported. At these early-career earnings, borrowers carrying $27,000 in debt will struggle to make progress on loan repayment. This program's outcomes are below what the CampusROI threshold considers adequate and should be evaluated carefully.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education at Greensboro shows an F-grade ROI: only 1 graduate in the Scorecard data, $43,963 median year-one earnings, and median debt of $47,745 - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.086. Carrying debt exceeding one full year of salary is a difficult financial position for early-career teachers. The graduate count of 1 means this figure has very low statistical reliability and should be treated as directional only.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 46.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 51.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 58.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Greensboro 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 | 70.1% |
| Enrollment | 708 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 46.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,155 |
Greensboro College admits 70.1% of applicants - a broadly accessible institution. The Scorecard does not report SAT or ACT score ranges for this school, so applicants cannot benchmark academically from public data. The open-access admissions profile is paired with a 46.2% completion rate, suggesting that admitting a broad range of students without commensurate graduation support is a structural problem that affects student outcomes.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Greensboro's 46.2% completion rate and 18.3-year payback period are notably weak signals.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro College (this school) | 24 | $17,882 | $46,566 |
| Howard Payne University | 27 | $23,627 | $48,376 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Barton College | 24 | $23,626 | $47,913 |
| Belmont Abbey College | 24 | $24,639 | $47,937 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
Who Thrives Here
Greensboro College admits 70.1% of applicants. The Scorecard does not report SAT or ACT score ranges. The college's small enrollment of 708 students suggests an intimate campus environment, but the 46.2% completion rate is a critical caveat - a majority of entering students do not finish. Students considering Greensboro College should ask hard questions about completion supports, financial aid predictability across four years, and what happens to students who do not finish. With a 46.1% Pell grant rate, the student body skews heavily toward lower-income families who face the greatest financial consequences of non-completion.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Greensboro College scores 24/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $17,882 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,566 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 18.3 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 46.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 51.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,607 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85. 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.
Greensboro College: Common Questions
Is Greensboro College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Greensboro College scores 24/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $17,882 a year after aid against $46,566 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 18.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Greensboro 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 $17,882 a year, or roughly $71,528 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 Greensboro College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,566 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,766 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 Greensboro 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 18.3 years for Greensboro College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Greensboro College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,607, against average earnings of $30,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85. 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 Greensboro College?
The six-year graduation rate is 46.2%. 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.