Methodist College
Peoria, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 38.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 46/100 · Below Average Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Methodist College in Peoria, Illinois is a small specialized nursing-focused institution affiliated with UnityPoint Health, and the data here needs to be read with that context. Overall ROI score is 46 (Below Average Value tier). Tuition is $18,008, but average net price is reported as $41,787 - which is far higher than tuition and reflects how the school's cost structure includes clinical fees, lab fees, and program-specific costs that nursing students incur. Four-year cost (modeled) is $167,148. Average earnings six years out are $51,000, climbing to a median $69,800 by year ten - strong outcomes for a nursing-focused school. The 8.8-year payback period is genuinely good. Median debt is $31,250 and the 0.61 debt-to-earnings ratio is reasonable for healthcare. The 20% completion rate is the data anomaly - it reflects how the school enrolls many students for short specialized courses or partial programs, and traditional cohort-completion tracking dramatically understates the outcomes for students who complete the BSN. The 74% three-year repayment rate is solid. Methodist is a real value for nursing students who finish, but the data structure penalizes the school in standard ROI scoring.
How Methodist 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.
- 6-year graduation rate20.0% - 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.
Methodist College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,008/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,008/yr |
| Average net price | $41,787/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $167,148 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $69,800 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $51,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $31,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $331 |
| Estimated payback period | 8.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 20.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 245 |
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: $18,008/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 $41,787/year, or roughly $167,148 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 N/A/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $31,250, which works out to about $331 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($51,000) and comes to 0.61, 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 | N/A |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $41,787 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Net price data for the under-$30,000 income tier is not reported - a meaningful gap. Working-adult students at this income level pursuing nursing should run the net price calculator individually and account for hospital tuition reimbursement, which is common in the UnityPoint pipeline. The high reported $41,787 single-bracket figure suggests typical students may not benefit from layered need-based aid the way traditional undergrads do.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Net price data for $30,001-$48,000 and $48,001-$75,000 brackets is also not reported. Only the $75,001-$110,000 bracket has a reported figure of $41,787. The data sparsity reflects the school's nontraditional adult-learner population. Working students in nursing programs often have employer reimbursement and credit transfer that materially shift the net cost calculation.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Above $110,001 net price is not reported. The structural absence of bracket-by-bracket data here is notable. For nursing-bound students at any income level, the practical question is: total out-of-pocket after employer reimbursement, transfer credits, and clinical-program structure.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Methodist College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $75,989 | 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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is essentially the entire institution: 102 graduates per cohort produce $67,809 first-year and $75,989 four-year median earnings against $46,375 median debt (the highest single-program debt figure on this profile). The 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio earns a C ROI grade - the high debt load is the issue, not the earnings. UnityPoint Health employment plus regional Peoria hospital systems absorb the pipeline at competitive starting salaries. For nursing-bound students who can transfer in significant prerequisite credits, the math improves materially over the institutional headline.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 71.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 64.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Methodist 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 | 38.9% |
| Enrollment | 245 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 51.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,350 |
Methodist admits 39% of applicants - moderately selective, fitting its competitive nursing-program admissions process. The 20% completion rate is a Scorecard cohort artifact reflecting the school's transfer-heavy student profile rather than actual academic failure; nursing-program completion among admitted BSN candidates is generally much higher.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methodist College (this school) | 46 | $41,787 | $69,800 |
| Augustana College | 67 | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education | 44 | $35,671 | $54,914 |
| Boston Architectural College | 43 | $25,865 | $62,123 |
| Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College | 29 | $10,880 | $41,785 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 21 | $49,790 | $40,151 |
Who Thrives Here
With just 245 students and a 51% Pell rate, Methodist is small and specialized - effectively a hospital-affiliated nursing degree-completion school. The fit profile is sharp and narrow: students who already hold prerequisite coursework or an associate's degree and want to complete a BSN tied to UnityPoint Health employment in the Peoria region. Nursing is essentially the entire institution. For students outside that specific use case, this is not the right school.
The Verdict: Proceed With Caution
The money case for Methodist College is mixed, and worth a hard look before you commit. At $41,787 per year after aid, the typical graduate earns $69,800 ten years after entry, which means it takes about 8.8 years to earn the cost back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years. Whether it's worth it comes down to your major and your aid package.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 20.0% graduation rate.
Median debt of $31,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $51,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61, 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.
Methodist College: Common Questions
Is Methodist College worth it?
In our view, the money case is mixed and worth a hard look before you commit. Methodist College scores 46/100 on our ROI scale. At $41,787 a year after aid the typical graduate earns $69,800 ten years after entry, so it takes about 8.8 years to earn the cost back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
How much does Methodist 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 $41,787 a year, or roughly $167,148 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 Methodist College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $69,800 ten years after enrolling, roughly $28,000 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 Methodist 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 8.8 years for Methodist College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Methodist College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $31,250, against average earnings of $51,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61. 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 Methodist College?
The six-year graduation rate is 20.0%. 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.