Ottawa University-Surprise
Surprise, Arizona · Private Nonprofit · 78.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 36/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Ottawa University-Surprise scores 36/100 (Below Benchmark), and the completion rate is 18.2% (3/100 sub-score). Fewer than one in five enrolling students graduates, and the school's sticker tuition is $35,880 with a $33,393 net price. For students who do finish, the figures are more moderate: $41,600 in 6-year earnings, $55,552 at 10 years, $21,500 median debt, a 0.517 debt-to-earnings ratio (a relatively decent 70/100 sub-score), and a 13.3-year payback period. The earnings premium is a weak 0.154, and only 61.6% of borrowers reduce principal at three years. Ottawa-Surprise is an Arizona branch campus of a Kansas-based liberal arts school, with 836 students and a 39.8% Pell rate. The school is functional for completers in business or HR; 82% do not finish.
How Ottawa University-Surprise 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 Score36/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate18.2% - 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.
Ottawa University-Surprise
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,880/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,880/yr |
| Average net price | $33,393/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $133,572 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $55,552 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $41,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $228 |
| Estimated payback period | 13.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 18.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 836 |
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: $35,880/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $33,393/year, or roughly $133,572 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 $28,636/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $35,922/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $21,500, which works out to about $228 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($41,600) and comes to 0.52, 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 | $28,636 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $30,096 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $31,252 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $35,696 |
| $110,001+ | $35,922 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $28,636 net, or $114,544 over four years. Even with Pell layering, this is a heavy lift against $55,552 in 10-year earnings. The 18.2% completion rate means the average low-income enrollee leaves with substantial debt and no degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001-$75,000 pay $31,252 net, and $75,001-$110,000 pay $35,696. Middle-income families face the steepest aid-to-income squeeze, paying $125,000 to $143,000 over four years.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $35,922 net, slightly above sticker tuition (because the figure includes living and miscellaneous costs). High-income families paying full freight are getting no meaningful aid discount and should treat Ottawa-Surprise as a faith-mission or fit decision, not an economic one. Four-year cost is $143,688 against $55,552 earnings.
Earnings by Major
Top 9 most popular majors at Ottawa University-Surprise with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $30,426 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $64,798 | C+ |
| Psychology | $43,959 | C |
| Communication and Media Studies | $59,445 | D |
| Teacher Education | $50,010 | C |
| Accounting | $72,368 | C |
| Human Resources Management | $66,759 | C |
| Human Services, General | $52,309 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $82,317 | B |
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 is the largest reported program with 44 graduates, $51,627 first-year and $64,798 four-year earnings against $27,000 debt for a 0.523 debt-to-earnings ratio and C+ grade. The strongest reasonable major at the school by completer count, with Phoenix-area employer absorption.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology has 47 graduates but no reported 4-year earnings, with $30,426 first-year earnings and $27,000 debt producing a 0.887 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. The major typically requires graduate work for career-track wages; median debt is $27,000 at a school with 18.2% completion.
Psychology
Psychology produces 23 graduates with $39,596 first-year, $43,959 four-year earnings, $27,562 debt and a 0.696 debt-to-earnings ratio for a C grade. Better-than-typical undergrad psychology outcomes, but the major still essentially requires graduate study to unlock real earnings. Manageable economics if the student continues to a clinical or counseling masters at a public university.
Communication and Media Studies
Communications has 9 graduates with $33,465 first-year and $59,445 four-year earnings against $27,000 debt for a 0.807 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. The earnings jump from year 1 to 4 suggests delayed career formation, common in media-adjacent fields. Risky undergrad debt level for a major with high variance in outcomes.
Teacher Education
Teacher Ed produces 4 graduates with $42,056 first-year and $50,010 four-year earnings against $25,583 debt for a 0.608 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 55.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 61.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 53.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 61.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Ottawa University-Surprise’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2018-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 78.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 400-570 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 440-590 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 16-21 |
| Enrollment | 836 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,690 |
Ottawa-Surprise admits 78.2% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 400-570 math and 440-590 reading, and ACT mid-range 16-21. The combination of broad admission and the 18.2% completion rate is notable: students enter across a wide preparation band and most do not finish, regardless of test profile. Even prepared students should treat the completion-rate signal seriously.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa University-Surprise (this school) | 36 | $33,393 | $55,552 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | 76 | $40,287 | $84,131 |
| Peirce College | 38 | $12,148 | $50,660 |
| Malone University | 37 | $20,948 | $48,909 |
| McPherson College | 36 | $26,441 | $52,084 |
| Prescott College | 30 | $22,583 | $42,359 |
Who Thrives Here
Ottawa-Surprise fits a narrow profile: adult learners and working students in the Phoenix west valley who can keep net price near the $28,636 low-income bracket through Pell and institutional aid, who are committed to a specific business or accounting credential, and who have evidence they can complete (transfer credits, prior degree, clear academic track record). Traditional 18-22-year-old students with broad academic uncertainty face an 82% probability of leaving without a degree at this school.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Ottawa University-Surprise scores 36/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $33,393 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $55,552 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13.3 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 18.2% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 61.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $21,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $41,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Ottawa University-Surprise: Common Questions
Is Ottawa University-Surprise worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Ottawa University-Surprise scores 36/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $33,393 a year after aid against $55,552 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Ottawa University-Surprise 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 $33,393 a year, or roughly $133,572 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 Ottawa University-Surprise graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $55,552 ten years after enrolling, roughly $13,752 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 Ottawa University-Surprise?
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 13.3 years for Ottawa University-Surprise. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Ottawa University-Surprise graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $21,500, against average earnings of $41,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Ottawa University-Surprise?
The six-year graduation rate is 18.2%. 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.