Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 97.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 29/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Rochester University, a small private nonprofit in Rochester Hills, Michigan, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 29/100, placing it in the Below Benchmark tier. The numbers tell a difficult story: only 44.1% of students complete their degree, average earnings six years after entry sit at just $35,200, and the payback period stretches to 16.5 years. Debt-to-earnings comes in at 0.695, meaning typical graduates owe roughly 70 cents in student debt for every dollar of early-career income, which is high. The published sticker price is $29,196 per year, dropping to a $21,456 net price after aid, but the four-year total still lands near $85,824. What drags the score down is the combination of weak repayment (just 53.2% of borrowers making progress on principal seven years out), modest earnings, and a sub-50% completion rate. The earnings premium over high-school graduates is also thin at 16%, suggesting the credential adds limited wage lift on average. There is upside in specific programs (notably nursing), but the institution-wide signal is that prospective students should price-shop carefully.
How Rochester University 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 Score29/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period16.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Rochester University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,196/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,196/yr |
| Average net price | $21,456/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $85,824 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $48,707 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $35,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,475 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $259 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 44.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 792 |
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: $29,196/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,456/year, or roughly $85,824 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 $18,463/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,821/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,475, which works out to about $259 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($35,200) and comes to 0.69, 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 | $18,463 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,173 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,771 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,596 |
| $110,001+ | $25,821 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $18,463 per year net, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less at $17,173. Over four years, that is roughly $70,000-$74,000 of all-in cost. Given average six-year earnings of $35,200, the math is strained even with generous aid.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income households ($48,001-$110,000) pay between $19,771 and $20,596 net per year, putting four-year cost near $80,000-$82,000. For this bracket the aid offset is smaller and the ROI case weakens further.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $25,821 per year net, only modestly discounted from the $29,196 sticker. Four-year all-in cost approaches $103,000. At that price point, weighed against $48,707 median ten-year earnings, the financial case effectively requires either a high-paying program choice or a non-financial rationale such as religious mission fit.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Rochester University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education | $43,039 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,312 | C |
| Psychology | $46,344 | D |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $45,314 | C |
| Registered Nursing | $90,425 | C+ |
| Communication and Media Studies | $51,856 | D |
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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the bright spot at Rochester. Graduates post $72,825 in median first-year earnings and $90,425 at four years, with median debt of $35,500 and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.487 - a C+ ROI grade and meaningfully better than the institution-wide picture. Only 10 graduates a year makes the cohort small, but the program leverages strong Michigan healthcare demand and clear licensure pathways. For students committed to nursing, this is the program that justifies the price tag.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is the largest program by graduate count outside teacher ed, with 26 grads earning a median of $50,673 at year one and $60,312 at year four. Median debt of $31,250 and a 0.617 debt-to-earnings ratio yield a C ROI grade.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education is Rochester's largest program at 60 graduates, but the financial profile is weak: $35,163 first-year earnings, $43,039 at four years, $25,217 median debt, and a 0.717 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a D ROI grade. Michigan teacher salaries are modest, and the debt-to-earnings burden is structurally hard for new teachers. Students pursuing teaching should look at lower-cost paths to certification.
Psychology
Psychology grads earn $33,375 at year one and $46,344 at year four with $29,687 in median debt - a 0.889 debt-to-earnings ratio, the worst in Rochester's program mix, yielding a D ROI grade. Consider this a feeder program for further study, not a terminal degree path.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication grads (10 per year) post $36,051 at one year and $51,856 at four years, with $26,166 median debt and a 0.726 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. The four-year earnings curve is decent, but the debt load relative to early earnings is steep. Outcomes vary widely in this field based on portfolio and networking; the price-to-payoff math here depends heavily on individual hustle.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 50.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 53.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 53.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 58.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Rochester University’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 | 97.7% |
| Enrollment | 792 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,476 |
Rochester University is essentially open-admission, with an admit rate of 97.65%. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, suggesting test scores are largely optional or not collected at scale. An open-access posture is meaningful here because it correlates with the 44% completion rate: when entry standards are low, the burden of persistence and academic support shifts entirely onto the institution, and the data shows many students do not finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester University (this school) | 29 | $21,456 | $48,707 |
| Albion College | 65 | $14,301 | $58,799 |
| Adrian College | 39 | $25,368 | $55,504 |
| Greenville University | 29 | $19,533 | $46,827 |
| Thomas College | 28 | $18,885 | $44,991 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
Who Thrives Here
Rochester serves a small student body of 792, with a Pell grant rate of 30.9%, indicating roughly a third of students come from lower-income households. The school fits a regional Michigan student looking for a faith-affiliated, small-classroom environment, particularly one entering the nursing program where post-graduate earnings ($72,825 at one year) materially outperform the institution-wide median.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Rochester University scores 29/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,456 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $48,707 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16.5 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 44.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 53.2% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,475 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $35,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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.
Rochester University: Common Questions
Is Rochester University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Rochester University scores 29/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,456 a year after aid against $48,707 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Rochester University 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 $21,456 a year, or roughly $85,824 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 Rochester University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $48,707 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,907 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 Rochester University?
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 16.5 years for Rochester University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Rochester University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,475, against average earnings of $35,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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 Rochester University?
The six-year graduation rate is 44.1%. 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.