Hiram College
Hiram, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 93.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 44/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Hiram College, a small (777 students) private liberal arts college in northeast Ohio, scores 44 (Below Benchmark tier). The financial setup reflects classic small-private discounting: sticker tuition of $27,600, average net price of $21,058 (about $6,500 off list), and four-year cost of $84,232. Average earnings six years out are $36,300, ramping to a median $54,311 by year ten - a respectable 50% increase reflecting graduates' career acceleration into Cleveland-area and broader Ohio professional roles. Median federal debt of $27,000 against those earnings produces a 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 21) - the score's biggest drag. Payback period of 11.6 years (sub-score 52) is workable. Earnings premium of 0.23 (sub-score 50) is moderate. Three-year repayment rate of 70.6% (sub-score 41) is mediocre. The honest read: Hiram preserves a real liberal-arts educational experience for a working-class Ohio student body, with strong nursing and biology programs anchoring outcomes. The challenge is the typical graduate's debt load against modest early-career earnings - the 10-year ramp suggests the math eventually works, but families should expect long payback timelines. This is a school to evaluate on educational fit, not pure ROI.
How Hiram 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 Score44/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Hiram College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,600/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,600/yr |
| Average net price | $21,058/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $84,232 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $54,311 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 11.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 54.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 777 |
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: $27,600/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,058/year, or roughly $84,232 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 $16,550/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,698/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 ($36,300) and comes to 0.74, 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 | $16,550 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,382 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $18,515 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,236 |
| $110,001+ | $26,698 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $16,550 net annually, totaling about $66,200 over four years. The discount off sticker is moderate. Note: the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $16,382 - very slightly less than the lowest bracket, a mild inversion in the published net-price grid. With Pell aid plus federal loans, low-income students borrow at or near the school median ($27,000).
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $18,515 per year, about $74,060 over four years. The aid drop-off from the lower brackets is moderate. Combined with the workable but slow earnings ramp, middle-income families face a realistic but tight financial commitment.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
High-income families ($110,001+) pay $26,698 per year, totaling $106,792 across four years - close to but below the published 4-year cost. Aid grading at the top is meaningful but caps high-income discounts. For high-income families, the price is only justifiable on small-college fit grounds.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Hiram College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $58,941 | C |
| Registered Nursing | $75,185 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $55,501 | D |
| Biology | $53,290 | B |
| Sociology | $39,277 | - |
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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing produces 13 graduates with $68,998 starting earnings, $75,185 at 4 years, $29,440 in median debt, and a 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio for a B grade. Cleveland-area healthcare demand provides reliable BSN placement. The cohort is small but the directional outcome is positive; this is the school's clearest ROI track.
Accounting
Accounting produces 28 graduates - the school's largest cohort - with $40,613 starting, $58,941 at 4 years, $27,000 in median debt, and a 0.67 debt-to-earnings ratio for a C grade. The CPA pathway gives accounting graduates structural earnings lift, but starting wages in northeast Ohio are constrained. Graduates targeting Cleveland or Akron metros see meaningful 4-year ramps.
Biology
Biology produces 8 graduates with $53,290 in 4-year median earnings, $23,875 in median debt, and a 0.45 debt-to-earnings ratio for a B grade. The strong 4-year figure suggests graduates pursuing graduate or professional school (medical, dental, PA) and emerging into clinical roles. Pre-health pipeline is the program's strength.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration produces 13 graduates with $36,105 starting, $55,501 at 4 years, $28,259 in median debt, and a 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio for a D grade. The 4-year earnings ramp is decent, but the debt load against starting wages produces difficult immediate-payback math. Students should target Cleveland or Pittsburgh metros for stronger placement.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 68.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 70.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 74.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Hiram 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 | 93.5% |
| Enrollment | 777 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,756 |
Hiram admits 93.5% of applicants - effectively open admissions. SAT and ACT data are not reported, suggesting test-optional or insufficient submitter data. The 54.5% completion rate is the central institutional story: the open-access admissions plus working-class student body (32% Pell) produces the persistence pattern visible in the data. Selectivity is not the differentiator; Hiram's value is the small-college experience and faculty engagement.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiram College (this school) | 44 | $21,058 | $54,311 |
| Briar Cliff University | 46 | $23,907 | $54,475 |
| Randolph College | 45 | $15,921 | $53,409 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | 44 | $18,083 | $51,593 |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | 29 | $5,355 | $37,453 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
Hiram fits the northeast Ohio or Pennsylvania student looking for a very small (777 students) residential liberal arts experience with reasonable proximity to Cleveland. Pell rate of 31.7% indicates a meaningfully working-class student body. The fit case is strongest for academically motivated students prioritizing small-class instruction, particularly in biology (pre-health pipeline), nursing, accounting, or interdisciplinary tracks. Students should be deliberate about debt; the school's $27K median is meaningful relative to post-graduation earnings.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Hiram College scores 44/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,058 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $54,311 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 11.6 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: a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 70.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $36,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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.
Hiram College: Common Questions
Is Hiram College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Hiram College scores 44/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,058 a year after aid against $54,311 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 11.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Hiram 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 $21,058 a year, or roughly $84,232 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 Hiram College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $54,311 ten years after enrolling, roughly $12,511 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 Hiram 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 about 11.6 years for Hiram College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Hiram College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $36,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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 Hiram College?
The six-year graduation rate is 54.5%. 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.