Morris College
Sumter, South Carolina · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 3/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Morris College earns an overall ROI score of 3 (Below Benchmark). The historic HBCU in Sumter, SC charges $16,664 tuition but average net price is $20,555 - net price exceeds tuition, meaning costs beyond tuition exceed institutional aid for nearly all students. Four-year cost runs $82,220. The outcomes data shows average earnings of $19,200 six years out and median earnings of $30,614 at 10 years - below high-school-graduate baseline. Median debt is $31,400 against a 1.635 debt-to-earnings ratio. Completion is 17.4%. Repayment rates are 22% at three years and 25.9% at seven years. Payback shows 999 years - earnings will essentially never recoup the cost via wages. Pell rate is 95.5%. The institution serves a small (383 enrolled) overwhelmingly low-income student body and its mission as an HBCU is historically significant, but the current financial outcome data is severe.
How Morris 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 Score3/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.64 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate17.3% - 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.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Morris College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $16,664/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $16,664/yr |
| Average net price | $20,555/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $82,220 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $30,614 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $19,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $31,400 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $333 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 17.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 383 |
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: $16,664/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 $20,555/year, or roughly $82,220 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 $20,485/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 $31,400, which works out to about $333 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($19,200) and comes to 1.64, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $20,485 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $20,609 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,727 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,121 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $20,485 net per year - nearly the same as every other reported income bracket. Four-year cost is $82K. Pell-eligible students borrow heavily relative to the wage outcomes the institution produces. Given the 17.4% completion rate and the wage data showing graduates earn below high-school baseline, the financial risk is severe.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30-48K bracket pays $20,609, the 48-75K bracket pays $20,727, and the 75-110K bracket pays $21,121. The aid structure is essentially flat across income tiers - almost no need-progressive discounting. This is unusual.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for over-110K is not reported. The flat pricing across reported brackets suggests the institution does not see meaningful enrollment from higher-income families. Given the universal financial outcomes, the case for enrollment at any income tier is difficult to make.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Morris College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $46,257 | 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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is Morris College's only reported program at 33 graduates - the institution's largest credential pathway. Four-year earnings of $46,257 against $26,946 median debt produces a 0.583 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C grade. The grade is significantly better than the institutional ROI score because program-level reporting reflects completers only, and completers do achieve reasonable mid-career outcomes. First-year earnings are suppressed. For the 17% of entering students who complete, the business credential produces workable outcomes; the dominant institutional story is the 83% who do not complete.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 17.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 22.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 17.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 25.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Morris 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
| Enrollment | 383 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 95.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,816 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, nor are SAT or ACT mid-ranges. Morris College historically operates with open or near-open admissions serving the local Sumter-area Black student population. The completion rate is 17.4%.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morris College (this school) | 3 | $20,555 | $30,614 |
| Anderson University | 24 | $23,544 | $42,101 |
| Arkansas Baptist College | 4 | $10,627 | $28,418 |
| East-West University | 4 | $21,697 | $29,963 |
| Rust College | 3 | $12,587 | $32,275 |
| Allen University | 3 | $10,972 | $30,497 |
Who Thrives Here
Morris College fits Black students in the Sumter, SC area drawn to a small HBCU community. Pell rate is 95.5% - the institution serves an essentially universally Pell-eligible student body. Enrollment is 383. The mission is real and historic, but the financial outcomes data demand serious consideration before enrollment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Morris College scores 3/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,555 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $30,614 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 17.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.64 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 22.0% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $31,400 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $19,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.64. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Morris College: Common Questions
Is Morris College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Morris College scores 3/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,555 a year after aid against $30,614 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Morris 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 $20,555 a year, or roughly $82,220 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 Morris College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $30,614 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Morris 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 more than 50 years for Morris College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Morris College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $31,400, against average earnings of $19,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.64. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Morris College?
The six-year graduation rate is 17.3%. 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.