Paine College
Augusta, Georgia · Private Nonprofit · 95.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 24/100 · Poor Value
Paine College earns a CampusROI score of 24 (Poor Value tier), with severe stress across every dimension of its outcomes data. Sticker tuition is $14,596 but the net price is $16,670 -- net price EXCEEDS tuition, which signals that mandatory fees and room/board push the actual cost above the published tuition rate, with minimal grant aid offsetting. Median earnings are $21,400 at six years and $33,338 at ten years -- the earnings premium subscore of 5 (raw -0.025) means Paine graduates earn LESS than typical high school graduates. The 14.4% completion rate (subscore 2) is among the lowest in the dataset, and the 28.6% three-year repayment rate (subscore 1) is alarming -- borrowers are not staying current. The school's 999-year payback signal means earnings never recoup the cost. Median debt is not reported, and the debt-to-earnings raw value of 0 is a data artifact rather than a positive signal (it reflects the missing debt figure). Paine is a historic HBCU in Augusta, Georgia, enrolling just 388 students with a 75.6% Pell rate -- one of the highest in the dataset -- meaning the school serves an extraordinarily high-need population whose outcomes are deeply concerning.
The data raises concerns about Paine College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score24/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate14.4% - Well below the 60% national average. Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
- Payback period>50 years - Graduates earn at or near the level of high school completers — the cost may not recoup within a working career.
Paine College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $14,596/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $14,596/yr |
| Average net price | $16,670/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $66,680 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $33,338 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $21,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | N/A |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $0 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 14.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 388 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The sticker price at Paine College is $14,596/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $16,670/year, or roughly $66,680 over four years.
That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $15,322/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay $20,388/year.
The median graduate leaves with N/A in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $0 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $33,338 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.00 - well within manageable territory.
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 | $15,322 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,959 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,233 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,604 |
| $110,001+ | $20,388 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $15,322 per year, totaling about $61,288 over four years. The 0-30K bracket actually pays slightly LESS than middle-income brackets here -- a typical pattern but doesn't help when net price exceeds tuition. Pell grants are doing minimal work to offset costs. With $21,400 in early earnings and 14.4% completion, the math is fundamentally broken for this population.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-75,000) pay $17,233 per year, about $68,932 over four years. Note the bracket inversion: $75,001-110,000 families pay $23,604 (the highest) while $110,001-plus families pay $20,388 -- a clear inverted pattern that suggests sparse data or inconsistent aid allocation. With $33,338 in ten-year median earnings, no middle-income financing structure recoups this cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $20,388 per year, less than the $75K-$110K bracket above -- an inverted-bracket anomaly worth flagging. Total four-year cost runs about $81,552. At this price for outcomes that include 14.4% completion and median ten-year earnings below high-school-grad baselines, the ROI math fails completely. Augusta-area families should consider Augusta University or Georgia Southern as alternatives.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 20.5% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 28.6% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 23.5% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 26.6% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 95.4% |
| Enrollment | 388 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 75.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $3,659 |
Paine admits 95.4% of applicants, putting it in fully open-access territory. SAT and ACT mid-range data are not reported in current Scorecard data. The combination of essentially universal admission with a 14.4% completion rate represents an extreme structural mismatch: the school is admitting nearly every applicant but graduating fewer than one in seven. For most prospective students, the admission ease should not be read as a green light -- the completion data is the binding signal.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Paine's peer set includes Agnes Scott College, Clark Atlanta University, Touro University Worldwide, University of the Southwest, and Life Pacific University. The peer match is uneven: Agnes Scott is a strong women's college with vastly better outcomes, and Clark Atlanta is a much larger HBCU with more diverse program mix. Paine's ROI of 24 sits well below most of this peer set, with the small-HBCU comparator Clark Atlanta typically performing 15-20 points higher due to scale and program breadth. The school is an outlier even within its mission-aligned peer group.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paine College (this school) | 24 | $16,670 | $33,338 |
| Prairie View A & M University | 27 | $13,570 | $45,411 |
| Tuskegee University | 26 | $35,013 | $49,641 |
| Edward Waters University | 25 | $13,649 | $34,782 |
| Elizabeth City State University | 23 | $6,364 | $40,026 |
| Virginia State University | 21 | $15,840 | $45,543 |
Who Thrives Here
Paine serves primarily Black students from the Augusta/Aiken region with deep ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church heritage. Enrollment of just 388 students with a 75.6% Pell rate makes this one of the smallest, highest-Pell schools in the dataset. The institutional mission is historically significant, but the financial outcomes are alarming: 14.4% completion combined with $21,400 in early-career earnings means most enrolling students leave without a credential and without the wage premium to service any debt taken on. Strong-fit students would be those with deep family/community ties to Paine specifically and a clear plan for completion -- but the data suggests Augusta-area students would likely see better outcomes at Augusta University.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
The financial data raises serious concerns about Paine College. With a net cost of $16,670 per year and median graduate earnings of only $33,338 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost.
Key strengths include manageable debt relative to earnings. However, the data also shows weak earnings relative to cost and a 14.4% graduation rate and concerning loan repayment rates and a long payback period.
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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.