Manhattan Christian College
Manhattan, Kansas · Private Nonprofit · 100.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 29/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Manhattan Christian College earns the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 29 out of 100, weighed down by a 0.792 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 16) and a 44.3% completion rate (sub-score 28). MCC is a tiny Bible college in Manhattan, Kansas with 146 students. Tuition is $19,126 per year, but the average net price is $24,213, with the four-year cost reaching $96,852 (net price exceeds tuition because room/board/fees pile on with very limited aid). Median 10-year earnings are $48,860, a 14.3% premium over high school graduates - modest given the price. The payback period is 17.1 years and median debt is $24,250. The 75% three-year repayment rate is the school's strongest signal - graduates do honor their loans - but the long payback and weak earnings make the math difficult. MCC is fundamentally a religious-fit institution training students for ministry and Christian education; its core constituency does not approach this as a financial decision, and the data confirms that on financial grounds the value proposition is weak.
How Manhattan Christian 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 period17.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Manhattan Christian College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $19,126/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $19,126/yr |
| Average net price | $24,213/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $96,852 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $48,860 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $257 |
| Estimated payback period | 17.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 44.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 146 |
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: $19,126/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 $24,213/year, or roughly $96,852 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 $23,218/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,466/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,250, which works out to about $257 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,600) 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 | $23,218 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $19,496 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $24,125 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,489 |
| $110,001+ | $24,466 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Net price brackets here are non-monotonic. Families earning under $30,000 pay $23,218, while $30,001-$48,000 actually pays substantially less ($19,496) - and $48,001-$75,000 jumps back to $24,125. This irregularity likely reflects MCC's tiny enrollment producing unstable per-bracket averages. Low-income families face roughly $93,000 over four years, with the 44.3% completion rate adding significant risk.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $24,125 per year, while $75,001-$110,000 pays $26,489. Over four years that's $97,000-$106,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning above $110,000 pay $24,466 per year (slightly less than the bracket below, another inversion) - roughly $98,000 over four years. At this price point with $48,860 median earnings, the financial return is limited in our view. This is purely a religious-vocation choice.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Manhattan Christian College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bible/Biblical Studies | $45,100 | C |
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 essentially MCC's entire program offering, with 32 graduates per year (more than 20% of the school's total enrollment). Median first-year earnings of $36,357 and four-year earnings of $45,100 against $25,250 of debt produce a 0.695 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C ROI grade. Earnings reflect the modest pay scale of pastoral ministry, missions work, and church-related employment - realistic given the field's economics. For students called to ministry this credential makes sense; there is no hidden financial upside, and that's appropriate given the vocational realities.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 68.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 71.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 74.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Manhattan Christian 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 | 100.0% |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 18-24 |
| Enrollment | 146 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 46.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,504 |
MCC admits 100% of applicants - fully open access. SAT mid-ranges are not reported; ACT mid-range is 18-24. Prospective students should approach MCC as a faith-formation environment first, with the academic credential as a secondary outcome.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Christian College (this school) | 29 | $24,213 | $48,860 |
| Arizona Christian University | 30 | $32,839 | $51,612 |
| Asbury University | 29 | $21,401 | $42,368 |
| Belhaven University | 29 | $15,676 | $46,440 |
| Central Christian College of Kansas | 28 | $11,404 | $44,468 |
| Liberty University | 28 | $29,357 | $44,813 |
Who Thrives Here
MCC fits exactly one type of student: someone called to ministry, Christian education, or church-affiliated work, drawn to a small, intensely faith-formation-oriented college. Enrollment is 146, the Pell rate is 46.8% (heavily working-class), and the entire program offering is built around Bible/Biblical Studies. The financial math here will not work for anyone treating this as a conventional college investment. For students with a clear ministry calling and family/church support to bridge the financial gap, MCC's value is genuinely non-financial - and that's a defensible choice for the right person, but it should be made with eyes open to the post-graduation earnings reality.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Manhattan Christian College scores 29/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,213 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $48,860 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 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 44.3% 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 $24,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,600 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.
Manhattan Christian College: Common Questions
Is Manhattan Christian College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Manhattan Christian College scores 29/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,213 a year after aid against $48,860 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Manhattan Christian 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 $24,213 a year, or roughly $96,852 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 Manhattan Christian College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $48,860 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,060 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 Manhattan Christian 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 17.1 years for Manhattan Christian College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Manhattan Christian College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,250, against average earnings of $30,600 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 Manhattan Christian College?
The six-year graduation rate is 44.3%. 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.