Hannibal-LaGrange University
Hannibal, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 72.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 30/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Hannibal-LaGrange University posts an overall ROI score of 30 out of 100, placing it firmly in Below Benchmark territory. Average earnings six years after enrollment are $31,600, climbing modestly to a median $42,643 by year 10 - weak figures that drag the earnings-premium sub-score to 16/100. Median debt of $18,599 is moderate, but combined with low earnings it produces a 0.589 debt-to-earnings ratio and a 30.3-year payback period. Net price is $22,814 against sticker tuition of $26,880, so institutional aid discounts are modest. The school is a small Baptist-affiliated university in northeast Missouri, and like many small denominational privates, the ROI numbers reflect a mission focused on faith formation and rural ministry over earnings maximization. The 50.4% completion rate also means roughly half of enrollees never see the credential they took on debt to pursue, which is the critical risk factor for any prospective student here.
How Hannibal-LaGrange University 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 Score30/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period30.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Hannibal-LaGrange University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $26,880/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,880/yr |
| Average net price | $22,814/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $91,256 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $42,643 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $18,599 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $197 |
| Estimated payback period | 30.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 410 |
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: $26,880/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,814/year, or roughly $91,256 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 $21,285/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,979/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $18,599, which works out to about $197 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,600) and comes to 0.59, 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 | $21,285 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,019 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,681 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,376 |
| $110,001+ | $25,979 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $21,285 - nearly the full average net price, with minimal aid stacking. Pell grants cover roughly $7,000 of that, but federal loans absorb the rest. Over four years that is $85,000 of borrowed and family contributions against average graduate earnings of $31,600. Half of enrollees do not complete, and the figures are tight even for those who do.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $18,019 - the cheapest published rate. The $48,001-$75,000 bracket comes back up to $20,681. Aid is mildly progressive in the lower middle bracket but flattens above. For a working-class family in the $30,001-$48,000 range, the four-year cost of $72,000 is the most defensible price point on offer.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $25,376 and the $110,001-plus bracket pays $25,979 - effectively the same, signaling no merit-based discounting at higher incomes. High-income families paying $26,000 for a school with $31,600 average earnings and a 50% completion rate are paying for community and faith, not earnings.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Hannibal-LaGrange University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education | $35,240 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $48,374 | C |
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 Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 16 students per year with $39,736 first-year earnings rising to $48,374 by year four. Median debt of $22,549 produces a 0.567 ratio and a C ROI grade - the strongest program at the school but still modest. Graduates typically take jobs in small-town Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa with regional banks, small businesses, and church-affiliated organizations.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 20 students annually with $32,927 first-year earnings rising only marginally to $35,240 by year four - a sign that graduates remain in low-paying rural Midwest school districts. Median debt of $25,250 produces a 0.767 ratio and a D ROI grade. Graduates fill important roles in northeast Missouri and west-central Illinois public schools, but the economic outcomes for individuals are weak.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 69.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 71.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 67.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 75.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Hannibal-LaGrange University’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 | 72.6% |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 15-24 |
| Enrollment | 410 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 36.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $2,888 |
Hannibal-LaGrange admits 72.6% of applicants with an ACT composite mid-range of 15-24. SAT data is not reported. The lower bound of 15 on the ACT is well below college-readiness benchmarks, which helps explain the 50.4% completion rate. The school is broadly accessible to any student willing to attend, with very limited academic filtering.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannibal-LaGrange University (this school) | 30 | $22,814 | $42,643 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Boricua College | 37 | $15,245 | $35,348 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
| University of the Southwest | 27 | $16,927 | $45,389 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment of just 410 students with a 36.8% Pell rate signals a very small, low-to-moderate-income student body. Strong fit: students with deep Southern Baptist ties pursuing ministry, education, or business careers in northeast Missouri's small-town economy, where the institutional connections matter more than the wage data.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Hannibal-LaGrange University scores 30/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,814 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $42,643 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 30.3 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 50.4% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 71.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $18,599 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Hannibal-LaGrange University: Common Questions
Is Hannibal-LaGrange University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Hannibal-LaGrange University scores 30/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,814 a year after aid against $42,643 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 30.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Hannibal-LaGrange University 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 $22,814 a year, or roughly $91,256 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 Hannibal-LaGrange University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $42,643 ten years after enrolling, roughly $843 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 Hannibal-LaGrange University?
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 30.3 years for Hannibal-LaGrange University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Hannibal-LaGrange University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $18,599, against average earnings of $31,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Hannibal-LaGrange University?
The six-year graduation rate is 50.4%. 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.