Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 70.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 44/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Knox College earns a CampusROI score of 44 (Below Benchmark tier), which understates the school's academic prestige but accurately captures the financial math. Sticker tuition is a substantial $57,903 with a net price of $24,595. Earnings are $31,200 at six years and $54,820 at ten years, with a 12-year payback period. The strongest signals are completion (67.7%, subscore 74) and repayment (78.9% three-year, subscore 67). The weakest is debt-to-earnings: $27,000 in median debt against $31,200 in early earnings produces a 0.865 ratio (subscore 10). Knox enrolls 1,127 students with a 30.9% Pell rate. The score reflects a classic small liberal-arts pattern: strong completion and repayment, but slow early-career wage growth as graduates continue to graduate school or settle into the wage compression of humanities/social-sciences fields. Ten-year earnings of $54,820 do recover much of the gap, but the early-career math is rough.
How Knox 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.
Knox College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $57,903/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $57,903/yr |
| Average net price | $24,595/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $98,380 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $54,820 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 12 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 67.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,127 |
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: $57,903/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,595/year, or roughly $98,380 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 $17,134/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $31,983/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 ($31,200) and comes to 0.86, 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 | $17,134 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,363 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,844 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,402 |
| $110,001+ | $31,983 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $17,134 per year, totaling about $68,536 over four years. With $31,200 in early-career earnings, the debt math is tight, but Knox's strong aid commitment makes the school accessible to Pell-eligible students. The 67.7% completion rate is solid, and ten-year earnings of $54,820 do justify the bet for students committed to graduate school continuation.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-75,000) pay $23,844 per year, about $95,376 over four years. With $54,820 in ten-year median earnings, the math works only if students continue to graduate school or land in higher-earning fields (international relations, education).
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $31,983 per year - $127,932 over four years. The cultural value is real for the right student.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at Knox College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $53,231 | D |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $38,967 | F |
| Economics | $62,144 | F |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $28,757 | D |
| Teacher Education | $50,828 | C |
| Sociology and Anthropology | $45,120 | F |
| International Relations | $54,341 | C+ |
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.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education is Knox's strongest immediate-wage program with year-one earnings of $41,934 and four-year earnings of $50,828. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.644 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C ROI grade. With 17 graduates per year, the program feeds into Illinois public-school districts. Illinois teacher starting salaries support the financing math, though the slow wage growth is typical of the profession.
Biology
Biology produces 22 graduates per year with year-one earnings of $31,203 and four-year earnings of $53,231. Median debt of $27,000 yields a 0.865 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. The 71% wage growth from year one to four signals most biology majors continue to medical school, PA programs, or research careers - the early-career data captures this transition period.
Economics
Economics produces 19 graduates per year with surprisingly low year-one earnings of $23,222 - but four-year earnings jumping to $62,144. Median debt of $25,000 produces a 1.077 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. The wage trajectory shape suggests many econ majors at Knox continue to graduate school or take low-wage internship positions early; by year four, those who reach corporate or finance roles drive up the median.
International Relations
International Relations produces 12 graduates per year with four-year earnings of $54,341 and median debt of $25,553, yielding a 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade - one of Knox's stronger program outcomes. Career paths feed into NGO work, foreign-service-related roles, and graduate study; the relatively low debt-to-earnings ratio makes the program defensible.
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Writing Studies produces 20 graduates per year, with year-one earnings of $15,466 and four-year earnings of $38,967. Median debt of $26,976 produces a 1.744 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade - debt nearly twice annual income. The major's graduates likely continue to graduate school or pursue editorial/creative work where wages remain compressed; prospective students should plan accordingly.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 74.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 78.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 78.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 84.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Knox 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 | 70.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 580-760 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 600-680 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-32 |
| Enrollment | 1,127 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,221 |
Knox admits 70.8% of applicants. SAT 25-75 mid-ranges are 580-760 math and 600-680 reading, with ACT 25-75 of 21-32 - a wide academic band that includes some quite strong applicants in the upper quartile. The 67.7% completion rate reflects a generally well-prepared student body. The wide ACT range (21-32) suggests significant variance in entering-class preparation, which likely contributes to the mixed financial outcomes by major.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox College (this school) | 44 | $24,595 | $54,820 |
| Augustana College | 67 | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| Hartwick College | 48 | $31,320 | $61,107 |
| Meredith College | 43 | $22,488 | $51,539 |
| Morningside University | 41 | $31,320 | $55,494 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 21 | $49,790 | $40,151 |
Who Thrives Here
Knox fits academically curious students drawn to a residential liberal-arts experience in Galesburg, Illinois at small-college scale (1,127 students). The 30.9% Pell rate signals a meaningful share of lower-income students benefiting from the strong institutional aid model. Strong-fit students are those committed to intellectual exploration who plan to attend graduate school, where ten-year earnings of $54,820 reflect both bachelor's-level and post-graduate trajectories. Students seeking immediate-wage outcomes after a bachelor's should weigh Knox's program mix carefully - the strongest immediate-wage tracks (teacher education at $42K year one) are narrow.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Knox College scores 44/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,595 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $54,820 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86. 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.
Knox College: Common Questions
Is Knox College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Knox College scores 44/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,595 a year after aid against $54,820 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Knox 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 $24,595 a year, or roughly $98,380 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 Knox College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $54,820 ten years after enrolling, roughly $13,020 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 Knox 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 12 years for Knox College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Knox College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $31,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.86. 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 Knox College?
The six-year graduation rate is 67.7%, 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.
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.