Harris-Stowe State University
Saint Louis, Missouri · Public
ROI Score: 5/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Harris-Stowe State University earns a CampusROI score of 5 - one of the lowest in the dataset and squarely in Poor Value territory. The score reflects severe stress across every dimension. In-state tuition is just $7,008, but the net price of $9,922 actually exceeds tuition, signaling minimal grant aid and meaningful fees - a red flag for an HBCU primarily serving low-income students. Median earnings six years after entry are $23,800, climbing only to $31,088 at ten years; the earnings premium subscore of 3 (raw -0.099) literally means Harris-Stowe graduates earn LESS than typical high school diploma holders. Median debt of $25,930 against $23,800 in early earnings produces a 1.089 debt-to-earnings ratio - debt exceeds annual income. The payback period of 999 years signals that earnings never recoup the cost. Completion sits at just 27.6%, and three-year repayment is 50.7% (subscore 9). With 73.7% of students on Pell grants, Harris-Stowe serves an extraordinarily high-need population, and the institutional outcomes are failing them. The school is a designated HBCU in St. Louis with deep historical mission, but the financial data show clear systemic underperformance.
The data raises concerns about Harris-Stowe State University
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score5/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.09 - Advisors recommend total student debt stay below one year of salary (ratio under 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate27.6% - Well below the 64% national average (NCES, 2022). 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.
Harris-Stowe State University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $7,008/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $11,640/yr |
| Average net price | $9,922/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $39,688 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $31,088 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $23,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,930 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $275 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 27.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 960 |
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: $7,008/year ($11,640/year out-of-state). Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $9,922/year, or roughly $39,688 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 $9,827/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $6,238/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $25,930 in federal loans, which works out to about $275 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $31,088 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 1.09, which is high - the rule of thumb is that total debt should not top your first-year salary, and this is over that line.
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 | $9,827 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,963 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $9,814 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $8,563 |
| $110,001+ | $6,238 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $9,827 per year - about $39,308 over four years. Note the net-price-by-income brackets here show an unusual inversion: the highest income bracket ($110,001+) pays the LOWEST net price ($6,238), while middle-income families ($30,001-48,000) pay the most ($10,963). This pattern suggests inconsistent institutional aid allocation. With $23,800 in early-career earnings and 1.089 debt-to-earnings, low-income students face a math problem the school cannot solve through tuition alone.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-75,000) pay $9,814 per year, totaling about $39,256 over four years. The bracket inversion noted above means middle earners actually pay more than high-income families at Harris-Stowe. With $31,088 in ten-year median earnings, this group sees no defensible ROI from the four-year program - the earnings premium is negative against high-school-graduate baselines.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $6,238 per year - the lowest of any bracket. This is an unusual pattern that may reflect merit-aid stacking that disproportionately benefits higher-income students, or simply data thinness in the high-income bracket. Even at this discounted rate, with median earnings of $31,088 at ten years, the ROI math does not work versus University of Missouri-St. Louis or other regional alternatives.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at Harris-Stowe State University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $48,694 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $31,146 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $49,010 | D |
| Education, General | $40,247 | F |
| Accounting | $50,792 | F |
| Sociology | $28,268 | D |
| Marketing | $53,868 | - |
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.
Biology
Biology is Harris-Stowe's largest program (59 graduates per year), but the financial outcomes are weak. Year-one earnings of $31,993 climbing to $48,694 at year four show typical bio-major trajectories, but median debt of $31,600 produces a 0.988 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. Most bio graduates need graduate-school continuation to reach competitive wages; the early-career data reflects those still in school or in entry-level lab/healthcare-support roles.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business produces 31 graduates per year with year-one earnings of $31,146 against median debt of $33,954 - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.09 and an F ROI grade. Four-year earnings aren't reported, but the early-career picture is stark: business graduates here are taking on more debt than they earn in year one, which produces structural repayment stress that the school's 50.7% three-year repayment rate confirms.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 29 students per year with year-one earnings of $34,108 - the strongest entry-level wage in the program data - climbing to $49,010 at year four. Median debt of $32,000 yields a 0.938 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. Career paths into St. Louis-area police, corrections, and federal security roles offer stable wages, making this one of the few defensible majors at Harris-Stowe.
Education, General
Education produces 16 graduates per year with year-one earnings of $28,500 and four-year earnings of $40,247. Median debt of $35,478 generates a 1.245 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. Missouri starting teacher salaries simply cannot service this debt load - this is the clearest example of how Harris-Stowe's net-price-exceeds-tuition dynamic harms students in mission-aligned but low-wage fields.
Accounting
Accounting graduates 12 students per year with year-one earnings of $33,025 climbing to $50,792 at year four. Median debt of $35,584 produces a 1.077 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. Accounting at Harris-Stowe is one of the rare majors where four-year earnings ($50K+) suggest the field's wage potential is reaching graduates; the F grade reflects the heavy debt load rather than weak career outcomes.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 39.9% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 50.7% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 25.9% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 26.8% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Harris-Stowe State 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
| Enrollment | 960 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 73.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,463 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and SAT/ACT mid-ranges are also unreported. Harris-Stowe is an open-access HBCU, which means effectively any applicant with a high school diploma is admitted. The 27.6% completion rate combined with open-access admission means the school is enrolling many students for whom four-year completion is unlikely without significantly stronger institutional support than the current outcomes suggest is in place.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Harris-Stowe's peer set includes University of Central Missouri, Lincoln University-MO, Southern University at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State University, and Kentucky State University - mostly small public HBCUs and regional universities serving high-Pell populations. Within this cohort, University of Central Missouri tends to perform substantially better (typically 50+ ROI score) due to broader program mix and higher completion. Harris-Stowe, SUNO, MVSU, and Kentucky State all sit in single-digit-to-low-teens ROI territory - a consistent pattern indicating that small open-access HBCUs face structural challenges in producing strong wage outcomes.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris-Stowe State University (this school) | 5 | $9,922 | $31,088 |
| Bennett College | 6 | $28,299 | $36,654 |
| Alabama State University | 5 | $20,435 | $34,502 |
| Mississippi Valley State University | 5 | $9,686 | $31,919 |
| Langston University | 5 | $11,504 | $33,261 |
| Wiley University | 5 | $7,092 | $33,159 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Harris-Stowe State University side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Harris-Stowe primarily serves Black students from the St. Louis metropolitan area, with 960 total students and a 73.7% Pell rate - one of the highest in the dataset. The historical-mission importance for African-American students in Missouri is significant, but the financial outcomes are alarming. Strong-fit students are those with deep ties to St. Louis and the HBCU community who can self-finance most of the cost or who target the specific programs (criminal justice, biology, business) where wage outcomes are at least workable. For most applicants, the open-access admission combined with 27.6% completion is a structural warning.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at Harris-Stowe State University are a real concern. With a net cost of $9,922 per year and the typical graduate earning only $31,088 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 27.6% graduation rate, high debt relative to what graduates earn, concerning loan repayment rates, a long payback period.
Be careful with the debt here. A median $25,930 owed against $31,088 in earnings is heavy, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83 is past the level advisors flag. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Harris-Stowe State University: Common Questions
Is Harris-Stowe State University worth it?
In our view, the numbers are a real concern - for most students the financial return does not justify the cost. Harris-Stowe State University scores 5/100 on our ROI scale. At $9,922 a year after aid against $31,088 in typical earnings ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years.
How much does Harris-Stowe State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - what students actually pay after grants and scholarships - is about $9,922 a year, or roughly $39,688 over four years. That is the number to plan around, not the sticker price. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Harris-Stowe State University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $31,088 ten years after enrolling, near the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Harris-Stowe State 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 >50 years for Harris-Stowe State University. Most four-year schools we track land between 4 and 10 years.
How much debt do Harris-Stowe State University graduates take on?
Median debt at graduation is about $25,930, against $31,088 in typical earnings a decade out. At a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83, that is past the level advisors flag, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Harris-Stowe State University?
The six-year graduation rate is 27.6%, below the 64% national average (NCES, 2022) - and not finishing is the fastest route to a poor return. 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.