Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit · 62.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 29/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Lyon College earns an overall ROI score of 29 (Below Benchmark). The small Presbyterian-affiliated liberal arts college in Batesville, AR charges $31,000 in tuition but the average net price is $19,616 - a substantial 37% discount off sticker. Four-year cost runs $78,464. Earnings hit just $31,400 six years out and $44,232 at 10 years, with $21,500 median debt and debt-to-earnings of 0.685. Payback runs 23.7 years. Repayment is 74.8% three-year, weakening to 67% by year seven. The school operates at small scale (648 enrolled) and serves a heavily Arkansas-resident student body. Program-level data is not available in current Scorecard reporting.
How Lyon 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 Score29/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period23.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Lyon College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $31,000/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $31,000/yr |
| Average net price | $19,616/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $78,464 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,232 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $228 |
| Estimated payback period | 23.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 648 |
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: $31,000/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $19,616/year, or roughly $78,464 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 $16,084/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $23,391/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $21,500, which works out to about $228 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,400) and comes to 0.69, 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 | $16,084 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,695 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,348 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,936 |
| $110,001+ | $23,391 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $16,084 net per year. Four-year cost is $64K. The aid structure is reasonably progressive and Pell-eligible students get meaningful institutional discount. Workable against typical Arkansas wage outcomes, but the 47% completion rate is the larger risk than the cost itself.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30-48K bracket pays $16,695 and 48-75K pays $17,348 - very flat across these tiers. The 75-110K bracket jumps to $20,936. Four-year cost runs $67K-$84K. The donut-hole effect is mild at Lyon's pricing. Defensible only for students committed to the liberal arts model and able to complete.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110K pay $23,391 - well below the $31,000 sticker but the smallest discount.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 76.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 61.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 67.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Lyon 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 | 62.8% |
| Enrollment | 648 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 40.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,336 |
Lyon admits 62.8% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, reflecting test-optional policy. The selectivity is moderate - not open-access but not highly selective.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon College (this school) | 29 | $19,616 | $44,232 |
| Central Baptist College | 40 | $12,287 | $46,789 |
| Mount Mary University | 32 | $20,144 | $48,745 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Arkansas Baptist College | 4 | $10,627 | $28,418 |
Who Thrives Here
Lyon fits Arkansas students drawn to a residential liberal arts experience in a small (648-student) community with Presbyterian heritage. Pell rate is 40.6% - a relatively need-heavy student body. The fit case rests on the residential liberal arts experience and individualized faculty attention rather than on financial-ROI metrics.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Lyon College scores 29/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $19,616 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,232 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 23.7 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 46.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $21,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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.
Lyon College: Common Questions
Is Lyon College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Lyon College scores 29/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $19,616 a year after aid against $44,232 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 23.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Lyon 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 $19,616 a year, or roughly $78,464 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 Lyon College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,232 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,432 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 Lyon 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 23.7 years for Lyon College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Lyon College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $21,500, against average earnings of $31,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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 Lyon College?
The six-year graduation rate is 46.8%. 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.