Rabbinical College of America
Morristown, New Jersey · Private Nonprofit · 95.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 20/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey is a small Lubavitch yeshiva offering religious instruction rather than a conventional secular bachelor's program, and the ROI framework reads accordingly: a Below Benchmark score of 20/100, a 999-year payback period (the framework's flag for earnings that never recoup cost in any plausible timeline), and a completion rate of just 22.2%. Tuition is $10,650 per year with a $15,628 net price after aid, putting four-year cost at about $62,512. Median debt is not reported, which almost certainly reflects that most students do not borrow federal loans; our debt measure gives it a neutral middle score of 50. The real interpretation here: this is a religious-vocational institution where students attend for Torah study and ordination, not labor-market preparation. Evaluating it on conventional ROI metrics misses the point. For families weighing it on financial returns alone, the math does not work; for those choosing it as a religious path, the framework is the wrong lens.
How Rabbinical College of America 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 Score20/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate22.2% - 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.
- 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.
Rabbinical College of America
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $10,650/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $10,650/yr |
| Average net price | $15,628/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $62,512 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,990 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | N/A |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | N/A |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 22.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 181 |
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: $10,650/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 $15,628/year, or roughly $62,512 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 $8,800/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
The Department of Education does not report a median debt figure for this school, usually because too few students borrow federal loans for the figure to be published. Our ROI score gives this measure a neutral middle value rather than treating it as zero debt.
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 | $8,800 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,229 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,300 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $16,469 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $8,800 per year net - the lowest published bracket and a meaningful aid discount from sticker. Over four years that is $35,200. Given the religious-vocational nature of the program, the financial framing matters less than the community fit.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The bracket structure inverts above $30,000: the $30,001-$48,000 group pays $14,229, the $48,001-$75,000 group pays $17,300 (more than sticker tuition), and the $75,001-$110,000 group pays $16,469. The $48k-$75k bracket paying above tuition is a flag - likely reflects room/board capture - and families in this range should ask the financial aid office for a clear breakdown.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price data for families above $110,000 is not reported, likely because few families at this income level enroll. The institution's mission positioning makes income-tier ROI analysis largely beside the point for the actual applicant pool.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | N/A | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | N/A | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Rabbinical College of America’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 | 95.2% |
| Enrollment | 181 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 43.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,825 |
RCA admits 95.15% of applicants, essentially open to qualified religious applicants from the Chabad-Lubavitch community. Standardized test scores are not reported in Scorecard data, which is typical for yeshivas where admission turns on religious background, Hebrew/Aramaic preparation, and rabbinic reference rather than secular testing. The 22% completion rate reflects the long, non-linear path of rabbinic study where many students transfer to other yeshivas or extend studies beyond conventional timelines.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbinical College of America (this school) | 20 | $15,628 | $34,990 |
| Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary | 33 | $3,822 | $36,442 |
| Hebrew Theological College | 27 | $26,861 | $33,291 |
| Machzikei Hadath Rabbinical College | 27 | $16,515 | $41,527 |
| Talmudical Seminary of Bobov | 20 | $2,840 | $22,432 |
| Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz | 17 | $21,437 | $35,023 |
Who Thrives Here
RCA enrolls just 181 students with a 43.65% Pell rate, indicating many students come from lower-income Orthodox families. The fit is highly specific: men from the Chabad-Lubavitch community pursuing semicha (rabbinic ordination) or advanced Torah study. For this audience the school is appropriate; for students outside this religious context evaluating it on labor-market returns, this is not a match.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Rabbinical College of America scores 20/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $15,628 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $34,990 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 22.2% graduation rate, a long payback period.
Rabbinical College of America: Common Questions
Is Rabbinical College of America worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Rabbinical College of America scores 20/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $15,628 a year after aid against $34,990 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 Rabbinical College of America 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 $15,628 a year, or roughly $62,512 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 Rabbinical College of America graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $34,990 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 Rabbinical College of America?
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 Rabbinical College of America. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Rabbinical College of America?
The six-year graduation rate is 22.2%. 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.