Midland University
Fremont, Nebraska · Private Nonprofit · 66.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 38/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, lands an ROI score of 38 out of 100 (Below Benchmark). The headline numbers: sticker tuition is $42,050, net price averages $26,267, four-year total cost is about $105,068, the six-year completion rate is 42.1%, average earnings at six years are $39,400 climbing to a median $52,163 by year ten, median debt is $26,134, and the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.663. The modeled payback period is 14.3 years. The brightest spot is the repayment sub-score: about 80% of borrowers are making progress at the three-year mark and 80% again at year seven. The biggest drags are completion (42.1%) and the very small earnings premium (16.3% above a high school baseline). Midland is the kind of small private where students who do finish reach acceptable mid-career earnings, but the 58% non-completion rate is the central risk: borrowers who do not graduate are the ones whose financial outcomes look worst.
How Midland 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 Score38/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Midland University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $42,050/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $42,050/yr |
| Average net price | $26,267/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $105,068 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $52,163 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $39,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,134 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $277 |
| Estimated payback period | 14.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 42.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,159 |
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: $42,050/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,267/year, or roughly $105,068 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 $21,086/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $28,680/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,134, which works out to about $277 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($39,400) and comes to 0.66, 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 | $21,086 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,445 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,055 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,289 |
| $110,001+ | $28,680 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face a net price of $21,086 per year. That is about half off sticker but still totals roughly $84,000 over four years against $52,163 in ten-year median earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets are roughly linear: $22,445 ($30,001-$48,000) and $23,055 ($48,001-$75,000), then a noticeable step up to $28,289 in the $75,001-$110,000 bracket.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $28,680 a year, or roughly $115,000 over four years. With median 10-year earnings of $52,163, the math works only for full-pay families willing to absorb the cost from savings, or for students entering high-leverage majors like nursing where program-level earnings of $74,515 in year one make the debt service comfortable.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Midland University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Education, General | $46,695 | C |
| Registered Nursing | $77,272 | B |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $45,969 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $41,149 | C |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | $33,216 | - |
| Business Administration and Management | $64,469 | 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 the strongest program by ROI, graduating 33 students per year with first-year earnings of $74,515 climbing to $77,272 by year four. Median program debt is $30,750, producing a 0.413 debt-to-earnings ratio and a B ROI grade. Nebraska's nursing shortage and the program's BSN credential give graduates immediate hireability in Omaha-area health systems including CHI Health, Methodist, and Nebraska Medicine. This is the single most defensible reason to choose Midland.
Education, General
Education graduates 45 students annually with $42,394 in first-year earnings and $46,695 by year four against $27,000 in median debt, yielding a 0.637 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C ROI grade. Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility for teachers materially improves the long-run math.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 19 students with $41,149 in first-year earnings against $27,000 in median debt; four-year earnings are not reported. The 0.656 debt-to-earnings ratio and C ROI grade are typical for the field.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology graduates 25 per year with first-year earnings of $31,475 rising to $45,969 by year four. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.858 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. This is a structurally weak undergraduate credential financially; the math only improves with graduate work in physical therapy, occupational therapy, or athletic training. Students who plan to stop at the bachelor's face thin starting wages relative to the debt taken on.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 72.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 80.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 72.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 80.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Midland 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 | 66.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 473-580 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 490-590 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 17-23 |
| Enrollment | 1,159 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,937 |
Midland admits 66.1% of applicants, which is broadly accessible but not open enrollment. Reported test ranges are SAT Math 473-580, SAT Reading 490-590, and ACT Composite 17-23. A 66% admit rate paired with a 42% six-year completion rate fits the typical pattern: the school accepts most academically prepared applicants and a meaningful share of marginal ones, and the completion gap shows up at the back end.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland University (this school) | 38 | $26,267 | $52,163 |
| Clarkson College | 71 | $19,241 | $64,876 |
| Bellevue University | 65 | $17,550 | $61,289 |
| Geneva College | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
| Millikin University | 37 | $21,989 | $51,262 |
| Our Lady of the Lake University | 35 | $16,442 | $48,675 |
Who Thrives Here
Midland enrolls about 1,159 students with a Pell Grant rate of 28.1%, sitting in a small-town Nebraska setting with a strong athletics and pre-professional orientation. The best fit is a Nebraska, Iowa, or upper-Midwest student headed for nursing, education, or a varsity sport, who qualifies for institutional merit and athletic aid and has a real plan to finish in four years.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Midland University scores 38/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,267 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $52,163 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 14.3 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 42.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,134 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $39,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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.
Midland University: Common Questions
Is Midland University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Midland University scores 38/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,267 a year after aid against $52,163 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 14.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Midland 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 $26,267 a year, or roughly $105,068 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 Midland University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $52,163 ten years after enrolling, roughly $10,363 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 Midland 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 14.3 years for Midland University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Midland University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,134, against average earnings of $39,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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 Midland University?
The six-year graduation rate is 42.1%. 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.