Houghton University
Houghton, New York · Private Nonprofit · 88.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 38/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Houghton University earns an ROI score of 38 out of 100, landing in the Below Benchmark tier. The financial picture has an unusual signature: tuition is just $18,430 but net price is $20,519, meaning the net price exceeds tuition because fees and living costs are not offset by aid for many students. The four-year all-in is $82,076. Graduates earn $33,300 six years out and $46,721 at ten years, with $25,250 median debt and a 0.76 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 18.9-year payback period reflects modest earnings against the debt. The bright spots are a 65.2% completion rate and an 84.3% repayment rate. Houghton's location in rural western New York limits employer access, which constrains early-career earnings, but graduates who do pay back their loans do so reliably. This is a values-driven small Christian college choice where the financial result depends heavily on major.
How Houghton 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 Score38/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period18.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Houghton University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,430/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,430/yr |
| Average net price | $20,519/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $82,076 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,721 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $268 |
| Estimated payback period | 18.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 65.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 753 |
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: $18,430/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 $20,519/year, or roughly $82,076 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 $19,147/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,424/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,250, which works out to about $268 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,300) and comes to 0.76, 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 | $19,147 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,503 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,312 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $19,974 |
| $110,001+ | $22,424 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,147, and the $30,001-$48,000 band drops slightly to $18,503 (a mild inversion). Combined with Pell Grant eligibility and New York TAP aid, low-income families face roughly $75,000 in four-year cost. Defensible against the $46,721 ten-year earnings only if students choose a strong-payoff major.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $19,312 and the $75,001-$110,000 band pays $19,974. The grid is extremely flat across these middle brackets, indicating Houghton offers limited income-based aid stratification. Middle-income families face roughly $77,000-$80,000 over four years.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $22,424, only modestly above the institutional average. Over four years, high-income families absorb roughly $90,000. For these families, Houghton functions as a low-cost private option.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Houghton University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,393 | C+ |
| Psychology | $37,822 | - |
| Communication and Media Studies | $45,134 | - |
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 Administration is Houghton's largest reported program at 25 graduates. First-year earnings of $39,400 climb to $60,393 at four years, with $21,450 median debt (notably below institution average) producing a 0.54 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade, Houghton's strongest result. The combination of moderate debt and reasonable earnings makes this the program most likely to justify the institutional choice.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 22 students with four-year earnings of $37,822. Median debt and ROI grade are not reported. Plan on graduate school as part of the cost picture.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication graduates 15 students with four-year earnings of $45,134. Median debt and ROI grade are not reported. Earnings are decent for a humanities-adjacent major.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 84.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 84.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 84.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 85.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Houghton 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 | 88.7% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 570-680 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 600-695 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 26-31 |
| Enrollment | 753 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,614 |
Houghton admits 88.7% of applicants, indicating moderate selectivity within its Wesleyan-tradition applicant pool. SAT mid-ranges of 570-680 in math and 600-695 in reading, plus an ACT mid-range of 26-31, are surprisingly strong for an open-ish admission rate, indicating a self-selected and well-prepared student body. The 65.2% completion rate is solid for the tier, reflecting effective community structure and academic support.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton University (this school) | 38 | $20,519 | $46,721 |
| Palm Beach Atlantic University | 39 | $28,354 | $49,232 |
| Carson-Newman University | 39 | $20,251 | $48,382 |
| Huntington University | 38 | $19,310 | $46,672 |
| Wayland Baptist University | 38 | $20,590 | $51,838 |
| Cornerstone University | 37 | $20,301 | $47,314 |
Who Thrives Here
Houghton enrolls just 753 students with a 28.5% Pell rate. The fit profile is a student looking for a tight-knit Christian community in a remote setting, interested in equine studies, music, or liberal arts, accepting modest earnings outcomes as a trade-off for mission alignment. The 84.3% repayment rate signals that graduates manage their loans responsibly, suggesting either strong family financial support or moderate post-graduation outcomes that just clear the debt service threshold.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Houghton University scores 38/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,519 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,721 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 18.9 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 it has going for it: high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76. 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.
Houghton University: Common Questions
Is Houghton University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Houghton University scores 38/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,519 a year after aid against $46,721 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 18.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Houghton 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 $20,519 a year, or roughly $82,076 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 Houghton University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,721 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,921 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 Houghton 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 18.9 years for Houghton University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Houghton University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,250, against average earnings of $33,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76. 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 Houghton University?
The six-year graduation rate is 65.2%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.