Montreat College
Montreat, North Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 69.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 24/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Montreat College, a Christian-affiliated college in Montreat, North Carolina, posts a 24/100 ROI score in our Below Benchmark tier. Sticker tuition of $36,450 is reduced to a $27,061 net price by institutional aid, with four-year cost reaching $108,244. Earnings of $37,200 six years out climb only modestly to $45,151 by year ten, producing a 9.4% earnings premium over high-school baseline. Median debt of $25,813 yields a 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 24.5-year payback period is steep - graduates need more than two decades to recoup costs. Repayment rates are mediocre: 62.8% three-year and 64.3% seven-year suggest a meaningful share of borrowers struggle. With 762 students and a 39.1% Pell rate, Montreat is small, faith-focused, and serves a primarily working-to-middle-class southeast US population. Strong outcomes for the small business administration cohort; psychology graduates lag.
How Montreat 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 Score24/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period24.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Montreat College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $36,450/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $36,450/yr |
| Average net price | $27,061/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $108,244 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,151 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $37,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,813 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $274 |
| Estimated payback period | 24.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 762 |
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: $36,450/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $27,061/year, or roughly $108,244 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 $23,261/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $30,607/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,813, which works out to about $274 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($37,200) and comes to 0.69, 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 | $23,261 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,904 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $25,075 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,700 |
| $110,001+ | $30,607 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $23,261 net - high relative to income. Across four years that's $93,044 against $37,200 graduate earnings. Pell, NC Need-Based Grant, and Montreat institutional aid help, but the gap remains substantial. The 62.8% three-year repayment rate suggests low-income borrowers have meaningful struggles servicing debt.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001 - $48,000 bracket pays $24,904, $48,001 - $75,000 pays $25,075, and $75,001 - $110,000 pays $25,700. Middle-income families pay $99,000-$103,000 over four years against $37,200 early-career earnings - difficult math.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $30,607 - about $122,428 across four years, well above the published $108,244 total cost figure. High-income full-pay families are paying close to or above sticker. At full price, the financial return is weak under our methodology.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Montreat College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $67,034 | B |
| Psychology, Other | $39,845 | - |
| Communication and Media Studies | $41,209 | - |
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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is Montreat's strongest financial program: 27 graduates with four-year earnings of $67,034. Median debt of $24,168 yields a 0.36 debt-to-earnings ratio (B grade) - the best ROI grade in Montreat's small program data. Strong placement into Asheville-area and broader southeast business roles. For students set on a faith-integrated business education at this price point, the program is one of Montreat's defensible value plays.
Psychology, Other
Psychology graduates 27 students - Montreat's largest cohort - with first-year earnings of $29,234 climbing to $39,845 by year four. Debt and ratio data are unreported, but graduates likely face Montreat's typical ~$26,000 borrowing pattern. The four-year earnings of ~$40,000 against that debt suggest a difficult ratio. Many psychology graduates from Christian colleges pursue counseling or ministry-counseling graduate work, which improves outcomes but adds debt.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication graduates 5 students - small cohort. Four-year earnings of $41,209 are modest. Debt and ratio figures are unreported. Small Christian-college communication programs typically feed into church-media, nonprofit communications, and small-market journalism roles; outcomes vary widely with placement quality and individual networks.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 53.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 62.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 60.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 64.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Montreat 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 | 69.2% |
| Enrollment | 762 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,390 |
Montreat admits 69.2% of applicants - moderately selective. The 50.3% completion rate suggests admit standards are loosely matched to retention; small Christian colleges often see attrition from students who realize the religious-formation environment isn't a fit. Visit campus and meet with current students before committing.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreat College (this school) | 24 | $27,061 | $45,151 |
| Johnson University | 25 | $22,063 | $40,596 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Barton College | 24 | $23,626 | $47,913 |
| Belmont Abbey College | 24 | $24,639 | $47,937 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
Who Thrives Here
With 762 students and a 39.1% Pell rate, the campus is small, working-to-middle-class, and faith-oriented. Strong outcomes for the small business administration cohort; weaker for psychology and communication. Students who fit are typically committed to the school's faith-integration mission and have a clear major target. Montreat's value is in the religious-formation environment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Montreat College scores 24/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,061 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,151 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 24.5 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 50.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 62.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,813 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $37,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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.
Montreat College: Common Questions
Is Montreat College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Montreat College scores 24/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,061 a year after aid against $45,151 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 24.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Montreat 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 $27,061 a year, or roughly $108,244 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 Montreat College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,151 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,351 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 Montreat 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 24.5 years for Montreat College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Montreat College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,813, against average earnings of $37,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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 Montreat College?
The six-year graduation rate is 50.3%. 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.