Lancaster Bible College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania · Private Nonprofit · 55.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 34/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Lancaster Bible College earns an ROI score of 34 out of 100, landing in the Below Benchmark tier. Graduates earn just $31,300 six years out and $44,096 at ten years, with $20,500 median debt and a 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 26.6-year payback period reflects how modest the earnings premium is over typical Pennsylvania high school graduate baselines. The bright spot is a 66.7% completion rate, solid for the Bible college category, and a 75.7% repayment rate that improves to 81.7% at the 7-year mark, signaling that graduates eventually manage their debt. The Bible/Biblical Studies track, which is the school's identity and largest program, produces $44,601 first-year earnings (reasonable for ministry students moving into salaried church positions) but heavy $32,084 median debt that pushes the ROI to D. This is a mission-aligned school where the financial decision turns on personal vocation rather than labor market math.
How Lancaster Bible 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 Score34/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period26.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Lancaster Bible College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,990/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,990/yr |
| Average net price | $25,480/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $101,920 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,096 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $217 |
| Estimated payback period | 26.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 66.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,569 |
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: $29,990/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,480/year, or roughly $101,920 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 $24,486/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $29,957/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,500, which works out to about $217 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,300) and comes to 0.66, 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 | $24,486 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,017 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,904 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,034 |
| $110,001+ | $29,957 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $24,486, and the $30,001-$48,000 band drops to $22,017 (mild inversion). Combined with Pell and Pennsylvania state aid, low-income families face roughly $88,000-$98,000 in four-year cost. Against $44,096 ten-year earnings, the math is genuinely tight; the decision must turn on ministry vocation rather than financial return.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $23,904 and the $75,001-$110,000 band rises slightly to $24,034. The grid is unusually flat across these brackets, with minimal income-based aid stratification. Middle-income families face roughly $96,000 over four years.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $29,957, essentially full sticker. Over four years, high-income families absorb roughly $120,000 in net cost.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at Lancaster Bible College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bible/Biblical Studies | $44,718 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,674 | C+ |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries | $38,779 | C |
| Communication and Media Studies | $31,046 | - |
| Teacher Education | $35,489 | F |
| Social Work | $35,235 | D |
| Human Services, General | $42,735 | F |
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.
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bible/Biblical Studies is Lancaster Bible College's largest program at 95 graduates and the institutional identity. First-year earnings of $44,601 are reasonable for ministry-track students entering salaried church or parachurch roles, climbing modestly to $44,718 at four years (essentially flat). Median debt of $32,084 is high, producing a 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. The flat earnings trajectory is characteristic of ministry careers: salaries do not climb dramatically with experience the way secular careers do.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 40 students with $51,101 first-year and $60,674 four-year earnings, the strongest absolute numbers on campus. Median debt of $24,062 produces a 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ grade, the school's best ROI result. A reasonable choice for students wanting to combine Christian community with mainstream career preparation.
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries
Pastoral Counseling graduates 21 students with $35,286 first-year and $38,779 four-year earnings. Median debt of $22,584 produces a 0.64 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C grade. Counseling ministry roles pay modestly; most graduates supplement income through bi-vocational work or eventually pursue licensure for clinical counseling roles.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication and Media Studies graduates 17 students with $31,046 first-year earnings. Median debt and four-year earnings are unreported. The first-year earnings figure is weak, consistent with Christian-tradition media graduates often working in church communications or parachurch nonprofit settings. Career path is feasible for mission-driven students.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 16 students with $24,449 first-year and $35,489 four-year earnings. Median debt of $26,775 produces a 1.10 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F grade.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 71.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 81.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Lancaster Bible 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 | 55.9% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 540-615 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 530-665 |
| Enrollment | 1,569 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 35.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,811 |
Lancaster Bible College admits 55.9% of applicants. SAT mid-ranges are 540-615 in math and 530-665 in reading. ACT data is not reported. The 66.7% completion rate reflects an academically prepared and mission-committed student body that tends to finish; selectivity here correlates with religious commitment more than academic strength.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Bible College (this school) | 34 | $25,480 | $44,096 |
| Evangel University | 35 | $18,669 | $46,573 |
| Colorado Christian University | 34 | $29,500 | $50,416 |
| William Carey University | 34 | $14,258 | $43,087 |
| Bethel University | 34 | $12,595 | $47,482 |
| Mississippi College | 33 | $27,712 | $47,485 |
Who Thrives Here
Lancaster Bible College enrolls 1,569 students with a 35.5% Pell rate, indicating a working-class to lower-middle-class student body drawn primarily to ministry, Christian counseling, and Christian education tracks. The fit profile is a student committed to vocational ministry or Christian human services work, accepting modest earnings outcomes as a trade-off for mission alignment. The Pennsylvania Dutch / Lancaster County setting and the school's evangelical theological commitments are central to the student body identity.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Lancaster Bible College scores 34/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $25,480 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,096 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 26.6 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: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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.
Lancaster Bible College: Common Questions
Is Lancaster Bible College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Lancaster Bible College scores 34/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $25,480 a year after aid against $44,096 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 26.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Lancaster Bible 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 $25,480 a year, or roughly $101,920 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 Lancaster Bible College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,096 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,296 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 Lancaster Bible 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 26.6 years for Lancaster Bible College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Lancaster Bible College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,500, against average earnings of $31,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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 Lancaster Bible College?
The six-year graduation rate is 66.7%, 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.
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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.