Hebrew Theological College
Skokie, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 57.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 27/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois posts a 27/10 - wait, a 27/100 ROI score in our framework - landing in Below Benchmark tier. The school's profile reflects its niche as a small Jewish religious institution: 90 students enrolled, a 50% completion rate, and modest median debt of $14,000. Average earnings six years out are $25,800, just below the high-school baseline (earnings premium of -1.6%), which is unsurprising for a population pursuing rabbinical, religious-education, or non-market-oriented vocational paths. The payback period of 999 years is our flag for 'graduates do not collectively out-earn the high-school benchmark by enough to recoup costs' - this is largely a statement about the religious-vocation pipeline rather than a critique of academic quality. Net price of $26,861 against a $15,150 sticker tuition reveals very limited institutional aid - net price is sharply higher than tuition because room, board, and fees push total cost to $107,444 over four years. With a 12.8% Pell rate and only $21,396 net price for the lowest income bracket vs. $35,059 for the highest, the aid distribution does at least flow toward need. Debt-to-earnings of 0.54 is the one bright spot: students borrow modestly. Anyone evaluating HTC purely on financial ROI is misreading the institution's purpose.
How Hebrew Theological 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 Score27/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Hebrew Theological College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $15,150/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $15,150/yr |
| Average net price | $26,861/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $107,444 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $33,291 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $25,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $14,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $148 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 90 |
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: $15,150/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 $26,861/year, or roughly $107,444 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 $21,396/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $35,059/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $14,000, which works out to about $148 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($25,800) and comes to 0.54, 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 | $21,396 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | $35,059 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $21,396 net - high relative to income but reflecting tuition assistance and Pell. Over four years that's roughly $85,584, against $25,800 graduate earnings, which only pencils with significant family or community subsidy. For low-income families committed to the religious mission, the modest $14,000 median debt suggests aid plus community support carries most of the weight.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Net price brackets for $30,001 - $110,000 are unreported, leaving middle-income families without published guidance. Use HTC's net price calculator early. Given a $26,861 average net price and the gap between the lowest and highest reported brackets, middle-income families likely pay $25,000 - $32,000 per year - manageable only with significant religious-community support or modest borrowing.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $35,059 - over $140,000 across four years, more than the $107,444 published total cost suggesting some bracket-level reporting noise. High-income families here are paying full freight (and then some) for religious formation, not financial return. Average earnings are $25,800 six years out, but families choosing HTC are buying mission, not market wages.
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 | 66.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | N/A | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Hebrew Theological 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 | 57.1% |
| Enrollment | 90 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 12.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,277 |
HTC reports a 57.1% admission rate, modestly selective on paper but reflecting a small, self-selecting applicant pool drawn primarily from observant Jewish communities. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, consistent with a holistic religious-school admission process. The 50% completion rate suggests admitted students are reasonably well-matched, though half do not finish in the tracked window - a figure to weigh against the $107,444 four-year cost.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew Theological College (this school) | 27 | $26,861 | $33,291 |
| Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary | 33 | $3,822 | $36,442 |
| Machzikei Hadath Rabbinical College | 27 | $16,515 | $41,527 |
| Rabbinical College of America | 20 | $15,628 | $34,990 |
| Talmudical Seminary of Bobov | 20 | $2,840 | $22,432 |
| Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz | 17 | $21,437 | $35,023 |
Who Thrives Here
HTC is for students pursuing religious vocation, Judaic studies, or community-oriented careers - not students optimizing for ROI. The 90-student enrollment, 12.8% Pell rate, and Skokie-area Orthodox Jewish setting make this a tightly defined community. Students who fit are typically observant, often drawn from yeshivot or seminary feeder schools, and accept earnings outcomes secondary to religious formation. The 0.54 debt-to-earnings ratio works only because borrowing is light and families often co-fund.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Hebrew Theological College scores 27/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,861 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $33,291 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 50.0% graduation rate, a long payback period.
Median debt of $14,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $25,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54, 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.
Hebrew Theological College: Common Questions
Is Hebrew Theological College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Hebrew Theological College scores 27/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,861 a year after aid against $33,291 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Hebrew Theological 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 $26,861 a year, or roughly $107,444 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 Hebrew Theological College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $33,291 ten years after enrolling, at or below 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 Hebrew Theological 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 more than 50 years for Hebrew Theological College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Hebrew Theological College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $14,000, against average earnings of $25,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54. 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 Hebrew Theological College?
The six-year graduation rate is 50.0%. 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.