Oak Hills Christian College
Bemidji, Minnesota · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 12/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Oak Hills Christian College earns a CampusROI score of 12 out of 100 (Below Benchmark). This is a 75-student Christian liberal arts and ministry college in Bemidji, northern Minnesota, and the financial picture is genuinely difficult. The earnings premium reads 1.2% over high-school-only workers, the payback period is 224.7 years (effectively never), and the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.88 against $20,980 in median federal debt. Average earnings six years after entry are just $23,900 and only reach a median $35,983 by year ten. Sticker tuition is $19,440 and average net price is actually slightly higher at $20,227, which signals that institutional aid is essentially zero (the negative discount likely reflects required fees layered on top of tuition). Four-year cost lands at $80,908. The 22.7% completion rate is also weak, reflecting the very small student body. The repayment rate of 72.3% is the only sub-score above 30, suggesting that the relatively few students who do borrow tend to make at least minimum payments. The honest read: this is a faith-based vocational training school whose financial outcomes do not justify borrowing.
How Oak Hills Christian 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 Score12/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate22.7% - 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.
Oak Hills Christian College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $19,440/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $19,440/yr |
| Average net price | $20,227/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $80,908 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $35,983 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $23,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,980 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $222 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 22.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 75 |
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: $19,440/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 $20,227/year, or roughly $80,908 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 $17,053/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $20,959/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,980, which works out to about $222 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($23,900) and comes to 0.88, 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 | $17,053 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,463 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,699 |
| $110,001+ | $20,959 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face an average net price of $17,053 per year, totaling roughly $68,200 across four years. With ten-year median earnings of $35,983, this price requires significant church-funded sponsorship or family resources to make work. Federal Pell will help but does not close the gap.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001 to $75,000 bracket pays $19,463 per year, while the $75,001 to $110,000 bracket inverts upward to $27,699, the highest bracket cost on the page. Four-year totals are $77,800 to $110,800. The unusual $75K-to-$110K bracket spike is worth flagging; this likely reflects small-sample noise in the Scorecard reporting given the school's tiny enrollment.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 actually pay LESS at $20,959 per year than the $75-to-$110K bracket pays, an inversion in the reported data. Four-year cost is roughly $83,800. The bracket inversion likely reflects sample size at a 75-student school more than any deliberate aid policy. Either way, none of these brackets deliver financial value relative to the school's ten-year earnings outcomes.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 69.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 69.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 72.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Oak Hills Christian 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 | 75 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 47.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,138 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data for Oak Hills, and SAT/ACT mid-ranges are also not reported. The very small student body (75) combined with the 22.7% completion rate suggests the screen does not reliably select for students who finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Hills Christian College (this school) | 12 | $20,227 | $35,983 |
| Augsburg University | 53 | $23,873 | $58,829 |
| Bethany Lutheran College | 35 | $20,148 | $46,110 |
| Yeshivah Gedolah Rabbinical College | 18 | $12,587 | $30,667 |
| California College of ASU | 14 | $17,683 | $42,014 |
| Sterling College | 10 | $21,854 | $30,573 |
Who Thrives Here
Oak Hills serves 75 students with a 47.0% Pell rate. The fit case is narrow: students with a calling to Christian ministry, missions, or counseling who specifically value the school's evangelical tradition and the rural northern-Minnesota setting and who can finance their education without significant borrowing. Anyone evaluating this school as a generic liberal-arts pathway should look elsewhere. The data does not support borrowing at this school for non-ministry-track students.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Oak Hills Christian College scores 12/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,227 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $35,983 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 22.7% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,980 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $23,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. 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.
Oak Hills Christian College: Common Questions
Is Oak Hills Christian College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Oak Hills Christian College scores 12/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,227 a year after aid against $35,983 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 Oak Hills Christian 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 $20,227 a year, or roughly $80,908 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 Oak Hills Christian College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $35,983 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 Oak Hills Christian 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 Oak Hills Christian College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Oak Hills Christian College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,980, against average earnings of $23,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. 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 Oak Hills Christian College?
The six-year graduation rate is 22.7%. 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.