Hebrew Theological College

Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois posts a 27/10 — wait, a 27/100 ROI score in our framework — landing in Poor Value 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. Median 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 paybackPeriod 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.

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. Students seeking secular career outcomes or maximum financial return should look elsewhere — the 0.54 debt-to-earnings ratio works only because borrowing is light and families often co-fund.