Manchester University
North Manchester, Indiana · Private Nonprofit · 71.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 40/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Manchester University earns a 40/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier, but the picture is more nuanced than the headline suggests. Average earnings six years after entry are $33,800, climbing to a median $51,504 by year ten - modest growth that reflects Indiana's regional wage levels. Net price is $18,805 against a $37,135 sticker, meaning institutional aid discounts about half off list - meaningful aid generosity for a small private. Total four-year cost is $75,220, manageable. The implied payback period is 13 years. Median federal debt is $26,854, producing a 0.794 debt-to-earnings ratio (the school's weakest sub-score and biggest structural problem). Earnings premium is 21.9% over a high-school graduate. Completion is 46.1%, weak. The bright spot is repayment performance: 81% of borrowers are making progress at three years, which suggests Manchester graduates who do find work make good on their loans, but earnings remain too modest relative to debt loads. The honest read: Manchester is a small Brethren-affiliated liberal-arts college whose accounting and pre-pharmacy/health-prep tracks deliver workable outcomes, but the broader liberal-arts mix produces D-grade results that drag the aggregate.
How Manchester 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 Score40/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Manchester University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $37,135/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $37,135/yr |
| Average net price | $18,805/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $75,220 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,504 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,854 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $285 |
| Estimated payback period | 13 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 936 |
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: $37,135/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $18,805/year, or roughly $75,220 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 $13,875/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,151/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,854, which works out to about $285 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,800) and comes to 0.79, 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 | $13,875 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,109 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,607 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,075 |
| $110,001+ | $26,151 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,875 net price - meaningfully discounted from the $18,805 average. Pell-eligible students layering the $7,395 federal grant face a roughly $6,500 annual gap, manageable with modest borrowing. Across four years, $55,500 net cost against $33,800 six-year earnings is workable for nursing/pharmacy-track students; weaker for liberal-arts paths.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $16,109 ($30K-$48K), $16,607 ($48K-$75K), and $21,075 ($75K-$110K). Aid scales reasonably across the lower middle, with a sharper jump at the $75K threshold. The $48K-$75K bracket is the sweet spot for value here; that family pays $66,428 four-year net for the small-college experience.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $26,151 - a $10,984 institutional discount off sticker, mostly merit. Over four years that's $104,604 net. Ten-year median earnings are $51,504; pre-pharmacy and pre-health students are the exception, because graduate-program outcomes lift the picture substantially.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Manchester University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $52,218 | D |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | $64,722 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,644 | C |
| Accounting | $75,295 | C+ |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $47,391 | - |
| Teacher Education | $45,088 | - |
| Marketing | $63,919 | C |
| Finance and Financial Management | $42,805 | - |
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.
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
Health prep is Manchester's signature program - a feeder for the school's own Doctor of Pharmacy program. Graduates earn $64,722 four years out (1-year not reported, likely because most are still in graduate study). Median debt is $24,250 with a 0.375 debt-to-earnings ratio (B grade). With 23 graduates, this is a meaningful cohort. The pre-pharmacy pipeline is the strongest reason to consider Manchester.
Accounting
Accounting graduates earn $57,456 one year out and $75,295 four years out, against $27,000 median debt and a 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio (C+ grade). With 10 graduates per cohort the program is small but produces strong individual outcomes. For accounting-track students with CPA aspirations, Manchester is a defensible choice.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business administration graduates earn $39,185 one year out and $63,644 four years out, with $27,000 median debt and a 0.689 debt-to-earnings ratio (C grade). 18 graduates per cohort. Mid-career earnings are reasonable, but the year-one figure is weak.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology graduates earn $29,936 one year out and $52,218 four years out, with $25,500 median debt and a 0.852 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). 30 graduates makes this Manchester's largest tracked program by volume. As a terminal bachelor's the financial outcomes are weak; many students intend grad-school in PT/OT/PA tracks where the math improves substantially after the next credential.
Marketing
Marketing graduates earn $37,351 one year out and $63,919 four years out, with $25,250 median debt and a 0.676 debt-to-earnings ratio (C grade). Only 7 graduates per cohort - a small, somewhat self-selected sample. Mid-career outcomes are decent and suggest the program connects students with reasonable employment, though the year-one figure highlights early-career challenges.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 76.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 81.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 72.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 75.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Manchester 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 | 71.1% |
| Enrollment | 936 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 44.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,154 |
Manchester admits 71% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with test-optional admissions and small reporting samples. Prepared, motivated students complete at materially higher rates.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Manchester's ROI is 40.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester University (this school) | 40 | $18,805 | $51,504 |
| Geneva College | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
| Peirce College | 38 | $12,148 | $50,660 |
| Hastings College | 37 | $24,452 | $51,303 |
| Bethel University | 34 | $18,610 | $48,860 |
| Anderson University | 32 | $25,021 | $48,899 |
Who Thrives Here
Manchester enrolls 936 students with a 44.7% Pell rate - a notably access-mission profile, meaningfully serving low-to-moderate income students. The fit profile is clearest for pre-pharmacy/pre-health students (Manchester has a well-regarded Doctor of Pharmacy program that recruits from its own undergraduates), accounting students, and those drawn to its Church of the Brethren peace-and-conscience identity.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Manchester University scores 40/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $18,805 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,504 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13 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: its 46.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,854 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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.
Manchester University: Common Questions
Is Manchester University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Manchester University scores 40/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $18,805 a year after aid against $51,504 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Manchester 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 $18,805 a year, or roughly $75,220 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 Manchester University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,504 ten years after enrolling, roughly $9,704 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 Manchester 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 13 years for Manchester University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Manchester University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,854, against average earnings of $33,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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 Manchester University?
The six-year graduation rate is 46.1%. 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.