Miles College

Miles College, an HBCU in Fairfield, Alabama, posts a 4/10 ROI score and lands in our Poor Value tier — driven by a brutal stack of three signals working against graduates. Median earnings of $23,100 six years after entry actually fall below the typical high-school-graduate baseline, producing a negative earnings premium. Median debt of $31,217 paired with that earnings figure yields a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.35, meaning a typical borrower owes more than they make in a full year. The paybackPeriod of 999 years is our flag for 'earnings never recoup the cost' — graduates as a group don't out-earn the Scorecard's high-school benchmark by enough to amortize their debt. Completion compounds the problem: only 15.8% of entering students finish a degree within the tracked window, and just 25.8% of borrowers are reducing principal three years out. Cost looks moderate on paper — $13,314 sticker tuition and a $14,271 net price — but the value math collapses on the back end. As a Pell-heavy institution (71.9% Pell rate) serving 1,155 students, Miles plays a real cultural and access role, but the financial outcomes documented in current Scorecard data do not support a debt-financed enrollment decision without a clear plan and outside aid.

Miles fits students drawn to its HBCU mission, Birmingham-area location, and access-oriented admission posture. With 1,155 enrolled and a 71.9% Pell rate, the campus is small, low-income-majority, and culturally focused. Students who thrive here typically arrive with a clear major, a strong support network, and a plan to minimize borrowing — because the median debt of $31,217 against $23,100 early-career earnings is the single biggest risk to outcomes. Students who are unsure of fit, undecided on major, or planning to fund the full $57,084 four-year cost with loans should think carefully.