Life University
Marietta, Georgia · Private Nonprofit · 93.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 31/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Life University, a chiropractic-focused private-nonprofit in Marietta, Georgia, scores 31 overall - Below Benchmark tier. The headline numbers are difficult: earnings sit at $36,500 six years after entry, climbing only to $47,397 at ten years, while the payback period stretches to 20.9 years. The standout weakness is repayment: only 37.1% of borrowers are paying down principal at three years (sub-score of 3 out of 100). Tuition is $15,036 but net price jumps to $29,791 - the net price exceeds tuition by nearly $15,000, signaling that mandatory fees, books, housing, and living costs dominate and that institutional aid is thin. Four-year cost lands at $119,164. Completion is 37.9%. The one bright spot is debt-to-earnings at 0.457 (score of 80) because median debt is only $16,666 - many students leave with relatively low borrowing. The picture: low debt but very poor completion and very poor repayment, suggesting non-completers without strong outcomes is the dominant pattern.
How Life 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 Score31/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate37.9% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period20.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Life University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $15,036/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $15,036/yr |
| Average net price | $29,791/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $119,164 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,397 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $16,666 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $177 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 37.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 893 |
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: $15,036/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 $29,791/year, or roughly $119,164 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 $28,151/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $30,883/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $16,666, which works out to about $177 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($36,500) and comes to 0.46, which in our view is comfortably manageable.
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 | $28,151 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $28,136 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $30,263 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $33,995 |
| $110,001+ | $30,883 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $28,151 net - substantially exceeding the $15,036 sticker tuition because fees, housing, and living costs dominate the total. Four-year cost is over $112,000 against $47,397 in 10-year earnings. Even with Pell, the math is hard; the price floor is set by non-tuition costs, not aid.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $30,263 - slightly more than the $75,001-$110,000 band's $33,995 is roughly in line but the $110,000+ bracket's $30,883 is actually lower than the $75-110K bracket. That is an inverted upper-income bracket anomaly, likely from small-sample variance. Four-year cost is $121,000 against the same $47,397 earnings ceiling.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $33,995, while $110,000+ pays $30,883 - an inverted bracket where higher earners pay less. Likely sample variance or merit-grant patterns. For high-income families, four-year cost lands around $123,000-$136,000 - a substantial commitment for a value proposition that depends heavily on continuing to the Doctor of Chiropractic program.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Life University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $57,278 | B+ |
| Psychology | $54,291 | D |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | $57,462 | C |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $78,151 | - |
| Business Administration and Management | $50,853 | 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.
Biology
Biology is the strongest undergraduate program: 41 graduates with $57,278 four-year earnings and only $16,668 median debt - a 0.291 debt-to-earnings ratio and B+ grade. The earnings reflect graduates who continue into chiropractic, medical, or PA school; Life's biology curriculum is built as a feeder to its graduate health programs. A solid path for students with clear pre-professional plans.
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
Physiology and Pathology produces 38 graduates with $36,662 first-year earnings rising to $57,462 by year four. Median debt of $22,439 yields a 0.612 ratio and C grade. Strong four-year earnings growth signals graduates moving into healthcare professional roles; the year-one number reflects the credentialing delay common in allied health.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 39 students earning $34,260 in year one and $54,291 by year four, but median debt of $31,000 produces a 0.905 ratio and D grade. The high debt is the issue - Life's psychology track loads debt at nearly twice the biology cohort. Year-four earnings improve materially, but the debt-to-earnings math at entry is poor.
Business Administration and Management
Business Admin reports null graduates in this Scorecard pull but earnings and debt are reported: $29,618 year one, $50,853 year four, against $27,416 debt (0.926 ratio, D grade). Among the weaker outcomes in the school. The flat first-year earnings and elevated debt make this the program with the most challenging immediate post-graduation math.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 22.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 37.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 41.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 48.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Life 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 | 93.0% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 440-540 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 480-590 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 17-20 |
| Enrollment | 893 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 40.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,524 |
Life admits 93% of applicants - essentially open admission. SAT mid-ranges (Math 440-540, Reading 480-590) and ACT 17-20 reflect modest academic preparation. Students considering Life should weigh the strong non-completion risk seriously - nearly two-thirds of entering students do not finish in six years.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life University (this school) | 31 | $29,791 | $47,397 |
| Agnes Scott College | 45 | $24,754 | $56,274 |
| University of Pikeville | 33 | $20,311 | $48,231 |
| Hilbert College | 32 | $22,723 | $48,309 |
| Wilmington College | 30 | $24,153 | $48,491 |
| Clark Atlanta University | 14 | $37,702 | $42,712 |
Who Thrives Here
Life fits students aiming at chiropractic-graduate-school admission (Life's signature offering is its Doctor of Chiropractic program; the undergraduate is largely a feeder). Pell rate of 40% indicates a substantial Pell-eligible cohort. Enrollment of 893 supports limited program breadth - biology, exercise/health sciences, and psychology dominate. Strong fit only for students with clear chiropractic, biology-pre-grad, or exercise-science career plans; everyone else faces a thin program lineup and weak overall outcomes.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Life University scores 31/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $29,791 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,397 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.9 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: manageable debt relative to earnings. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 37.9% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 37.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $16,666 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $36,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Life University: Common Questions
Is Life University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Life University scores 31/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $29,791 a year after aid against $47,397 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Life 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 $29,791 a year, or roughly $119,164 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 Life University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,397 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,597 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 Life 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 20.9 years for Life University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Life University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $16,666, against average earnings of $36,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Life University?
The six-year graduation rate is 37.9%. 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.