Heidelberg University
Tiffin, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 85.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 33/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Heidelberg University, a small private nonprofit in Tiffin, Ohio, scores 33 out of 100 on the CampusROI framework and lands in Below Benchmark tier. The outcomes data weighs against the value case. Average 6-year earnings come in at $33,600 climbing to a median $48,466 at 10 years, a moderate trajectory. Payback period is 16.5 years and median debt is $27,000, producing a 0.804 debt-to-earnings ratio that earns a weak subscore of 15. The 52% completion rate is moderate, and the 75.2% three-year repayment rate is decent. The school sits in the long tail of Midwestern private liberal arts institutions facing demographic pressure.
How Heidelberg 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 Score33/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period16.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Heidelberg University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,650/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,650/yr |
| Average net price | $20,556/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $82,224 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $48,466 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 52.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 915 |
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: $33,650/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $20,556/year, or roughly $82,224 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 $18,217/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,286/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,600) and comes to 0.80, 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 | $18,217 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,974 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,556 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,376 |
| $110,001+ | $26,286 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $18,217 net, while the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $15,974 and the $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $14,556. This is an inverted-bracket pattern (lower brackets pay more), a clear data anomaly that likely reflects how merit aid and need aid stack for academically strong but lower-need students. Lowest-income families should validate the figure with the school's net-price calculator.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket actually pays the least of all brackets at $14,556, and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket jumps to $21,376. The cliff between those two brackets is significant. Middle-income families just under $75K get the best deal at Heidelberg; just over $75K, the math gets meaningfully worse.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $26,286 net, $7,364 below the $33,650 sticker. Heidelberg's pricing assumes high-income families pay most of cost out of pocket. For families that can self-fund the residential experience, the value case is intact; for families that would borrow PLUS at this earnings level, the math weakens.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at Heidelberg University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $65,471 | C |
| Psychology | $39,600 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $52,329 | C+ |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $51,684 | C+ |
| Accounting | $84,967 | B+ |
| Communication and Media Studies | $50,626 | C+ |
| Education, General | $46,402 | D |
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 is Heidelberg's largest reported program with 40 graduates, posting $42,640 in 1-year earnings and $65,471 at year four. The 0.633 debt-to-earnings ratio earns a C grade against $27,000 of debt. This is a clean Midwestern business pipeline: graduates enter operations, sales, and management roles in Ohio regional employers with steady wage progression. Debt is comfortably serviced on starting earnings.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 24 students; year-one earnings are not reported but 4-year earnings come in at $39,600. The 0.682 debt-to-earnings ratio earns a C grade. The weak 4-year figure is notable: psychology graduates here are lagging the school median, suggesting that most students who pursue this major are not progressing to graduate work that would lift earnings. Students entering psychology should plan for a graduate or licensure pathway.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology graduates 22 students, with 4-year earnings of $52,329 and a 0.516 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a C+ grade. Debt of $27K is serviceable on these earnings.
Accounting
Accounting is Heidelberg's standout ROI program with 11 graduates: 4-year earnings of $84,967 and a 0.318 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a B+ grade. The cohort is small enough that the figure is noisy, but the pattern is consistent with CPA-track graduates entering public accounting firms in Columbus or Cleveland where compensation scales sharply through the first four years. Debt of $27K against $85K of 4-year earnings is easily serviced.
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
Allied Health graduates 15 students with 4-year earnings of $51,684 and a 0.522 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a C+ grade. This is a credible pre-clinical pathway, often serving as a feeder into PA, OT, PT, and nursing graduate programs. Year-one earnings are not reported, likely because many graduates are in graduate-school holdouts during that window. Debt of $27K is serviceable.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 65.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 70.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 74.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Heidelberg 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 | 85.8% |
| Enrollment | 915 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 36.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,994 |
Heidelberg admits 85.8% of applicants, essentially open-access. The 52% completion rate against the 86% admit rate is the familiar open-enrollment private pattern: getting in is easy, finishing requires academic momentum that not all entering students bring. Strong fits include students with prepared study habits and a defined major from day one.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidelberg University (this school) | 33 | $20,556 | $48,466 |
| Our Lady of the Lake University | 35 | $16,442 | $48,675 |
| University of Pikeville | 33 | $20,311 | $48,231 |
| Emory & Henry University | 33 | $19,061 | $47,385 |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | 29 | $5,355 | $37,453 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
With 915 students and a 36.6% Pell rate, the campus is small and economically diverse. Strong fits are students targeting accounting, education, or kinesiology, who value faculty access and a tight residential community. Weak fits are students focused on humanities or social sciences who would borrow heavily; debt service against the school's median earnings is structurally tight.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Heidelberg University scores 33/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,556 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $48,466 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16.5 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 52.0% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. 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.
Heidelberg University: Common Questions
Is Heidelberg University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Heidelberg University scores 33/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,556 a year after aid against $48,466 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Heidelberg 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 $20,556 a year, or roughly $82,224 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 Heidelberg University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $48,466 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,666 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 Heidelberg 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 16.5 years for Heidelberg University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Heidelberg University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $33,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. 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 Heidelberg University?
The six-year graduation rate is 52.0%. 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.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
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.