Lourdes University
Sylvania, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 74.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio earns a 23 ROI score (Below Benchmark). Every sub-score is below 30: earnings premium 27, payback period 30, debt-to-earnings 22, completion rate 12, and repayment rate 11. Sticker tuition is $29,500 with average net price of $23,206 and total four-year cost around $92,824. Earnings of $36,500 at six years grow to just $48,150 at ten - barely above what high-school graduates earn - against $27,000 median debt and a $286/month payment. The math produces a 17.7-year payback period and 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio. The structural problem is the 32.5% completion rate - barely a third of the cohort finishes - combined with a 54.9% three-year repayment rate. Borrowing $27K with a 1-in-3 completion probability is a difficult bet. Nursing, the strongest program, partly offsets this story for that specific cohort, but the typical Lourdes student outcome is poor.
How Lourdes 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 Score23/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate32.5% - 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 period17.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Lourdes University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,500/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,500/yr |
| Average net price | $23,206/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $92,824 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $48,150 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 17.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 32.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 543 |
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: $29,500/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $23,206/year, or roughly $92,824 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 $22,220/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,394/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 ($36,500) 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 | $22,220 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,184 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,192 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,236 |
| $110,001+ | $21,394 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families at $0-$30,000 pay $22,220 net and $30,001-$48,000 pay $22,184 - essentially flat. That's roughly $89K over four years for a Pell-eligible household, which is unmanageable on the income alone. Students will borrow at or above the $27K median, and with a 32.5% completion rate the most likely outcome is debt without a degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$48,001-$75,000 households pay $23,192 and $75,001-$110,000 pay $27,236. Total four-year cost ranges from $93K-$109K. With median earnings outcomes around $36K-$48K and a 17.7-year payback period, this bracket faces the worst dollar-value math: high cost, modest earnings, and an unusually high failure-to-finish risk.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay only $21,394 - actually less than middle-income households. This is a clearly inverted bracket: the wealthiest tier pays the least, while the $75-110K bracket pays the most ($27,236). This pattern often signals merit-based discounting that rewards stronger applicants regardless of need. Worth noting and asking financial-aid staff about during the price-calculator step.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Lourdes University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $70,971 | C+ |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $50,958 | C |
| Teacher Education | $33,041 | D |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $45,057 | 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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the only program at Lourdes with defensible ROI: 37 graduates, $67,414 first-year earnings rising to $70,971 by year four. Median debt of $31,000 is high but the 0.46 debt-to-earnings ratio still produces a C+ grade. For students certain about nursing in the Toledo region, the program is real and well-placed in local hospital systems. Students choosing nursing should treat the school's other ROI metrics as largely irrelevant to their personal outcome.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business management posts a C grade with 21 graduates.
Teacher Education
Teacher education yields a D grade with just 6 graduates. First-year earnings of $33,041 against $31,000 debt produces a 0.938 ratio. Ohio teacher salaries don't justify the cost here.
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Interdisciplinary studies posts an F grade with 4 graduates: $22,921 first-year earnings, $28,673 in debt, debt-to-earnings of 1.251. Tiny cohort, but the math reflects the program serving as a default catch-all for students who didn't lock onto a specific career-aligned major. Avoid.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 46.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 54.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 43.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 53.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Lourdes 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 | 74.1% |
| Enrollment | 543 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,984 |
Lourdes admits 74.1% of applicants, but SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, suggesting the school is largely test-optional. With a 32.5% completion rate, the institution is admitting many students who do not finish. Prepared, focused students - especially those entering with clear nursing or healthcare goals - will fare meaningfully better than the school-wide averages suggest.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lourdes University (this school) | 23 | $23,206 | $48,150 |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | 29 | $5,355 | $37,453 |
| Touro University Worldwide | 24 | $19,058 | $40,803 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
Lourdes is a tiny Catholic school (543 students, 30% Pell rate) in suburban Toledo. The reality of a Lourdes investment is dominated by the nursing program; if a student is determined to do nursing in a small, faith-affiliated environment near home, the math at least pencils to C+ territory.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Lourdes University scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $23,206 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $48,150 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 17.7 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, its 32.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 54.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $36,500 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.
Lourdes University: Common Questions
Is Lourdes University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Lourdes University scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $23,206 a year after aid against $48,150 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 17.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Lourdes 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 $23,206 a year, or roughly $92,824 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 Lourdes University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $48,150 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,350 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 Lourdes 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 17.7 years for Lourdes University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Lourdes University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $36,500 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 Lourdes University?
The six-year graduation rate is 32.5%. 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.