Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana · Private Nonprofit · 76.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 62/100 · Fair Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Saint Mary's College, the women's Catholic liberal arts school, scores 62 (Fair Value). The cost discounting is meaningful: $53,230 sticker drops to a $25,292 net price (52% institutional discount). With $27,000 median federal debt and ten-year median earnings of $59,354, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.607 produces a 9.9-year payback. The standout metrics are completion (69.3%) and repayment rate (87.4%), reflecting both the school's academic quality and its mostly middle-to-upper-income student profile. The 23.9% Pell rate is modest, and the 1,458-student all-women enrollment maintains a distinctive intimate liberal arts environment. Earnings 10 years out at $59K reflect a heavy liberal-arts mix - nursing and accounting graduates outperform the median, while psychology and communications drag it down. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, Saint Mary's College is a defensible value for students who match its mission, particularly those who pick the strong professional programs.
Saint Mary's College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $53,230/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $53,230/yr |
| Average net price | $25,292/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $101,168 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $59,354 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $44,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 9.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 69.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,458 |
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: $53,230/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,292/year, or roughly $101,168 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 $16,760/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $30,443/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($44,500) and comes to 0.61, 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 | $16,760 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,152 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,014 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,680 |
| $110,001+ | $30,443 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $16,760 net per year - genuinely strong for a sticker-$53K private. The $30K-$48K band pays $18,152. Saint Mary's institutional aid stacks well with Pell for low-income students, producing a roughly $67K-$73K four-year cost that works for any reasonably strong major.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $21,014 and the $75K-$110K band pays $23,680. Middle-income families face $84K-$95K in four-year out-of-pocket cost. Solid for nursing, accounting, and the pre-med biology pipeline; tighter for the liberal-arts cohort exiting at a bachelor's only.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $30,443 net per year, totaling roughly $122K over four years. For families committed to a Catholic women's college experience, this is the price; the value math works for high-earning major choices and falls apart for terminal humanities degrees.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Saint Mary's College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $80,396 | B |
| Psychology | $58,218 | D |
| Teacher Education | $51,665 | C |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $73,449 | C+ |
| Biology | $68,409 | B |
| Communication and Media Studies | $66,335 | D |
| Communication Disorders Sciences | $66,587 | B |
| International/Globalization Studies | $25,164 | - |
| Accounting | $98,107 | B |
| Social Work | $49,555 | - |
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 Saint Mary's strongest reliable ROI: 47 graduates with $74,962 first-year earnings, $27,000 debt, and a 0.36 D/E ratio (B grade). Saint Mary's nursing graduates feed into South Bend, Chicago, and Indianapolis hospital systems. The combination of a regulated license and strong starting earnings makes this the most defensible path on campus.
Accounting
Accounting produces 13 graduates with $71,234 first-year earnings, $98,107 at four years out, $27,000 debt, and a 0.379 D/E ratio (B grade). High-confidence positive ROI.
Biology
Biology produces 25 graduates with $68,409 four-year earnings, $27,000 debt, and a 0.395 D/E ratio (B grade). Students still need a clear graduate plan; bachelor's-only outcomes will be weaker than the four-year figures suggest.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education enrolls 31 graduates with $41,286 first-year earnings, $27,000 debt, and a 0.654 D/E ratio (C grade). Indiana teacher salaries cap the upside, and the private-school debt load creates real friction. Workable for students committed to teaching, but financially weaker than the school's nursing or accounting pipelines.
Psychology
Psychology enrolls 35 graduates with $32,213 first-year earnings, $27,000 debt, and a 0.838 D/E ratio (D grade). The familiar bachelor's-only psychology problem: graduates earn near payment thresholds. Saint Mary's psychology students need a concrete graduate-school path to make this work economically; the bachelor's alone is a weak credential against this debt load.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 87.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 87.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 86.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 92.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Saint Mary's 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
| Acceptance rate | 76.0% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 550-645 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 580-680 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 26-30 |
| Enrollment | 1,458 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 23.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,935 |
Saint Mary's admits 76% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 550-645 math and 580-680 reading, and an ACT band of 26-30. Solidly selective for a small liberal arts college - the school screens for academically prepared women who can succeed in its rigorous Catholic liberal arts curriculum. The 69.3% completion rate aligns with this admit profile: well-matched students who persist to graduation at high rates.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Saint Mary's ROI is 62.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's College (this school) | 62 | $25,292 | $59,354 |
| John Brown University | 64 | $20,397 | $53,907 |
| AdventHealth University | 63 | $30,135 | $72,282 |
| Walla Walla University | 62 | $23,329 | $61,885 |
| Bethel University | 34 | $18,610 | $48,860 |
| Anderson University | 32 | $25,021 | $48,899 |
Who Thrives Here
With 23.9% Pell rate and 1,458 students, the campus is middle-to-upper-middle income and intimate. Strong fit for students who value single-sex education within a co-ed adjacent community via ND cross-registration. Weak fit for women seeking large-scale STEM research opportunities or low-cost paths to degree.
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
Saint Mary's College is a fair-value bet, but how well it pays off depends a lot on you. At $25,292 a year after aid ($101,168 over four years), with the typical graduate earning $59,354 a decade out, the cost takes about 9.9 years to earn back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
What it has going for it: its 69.3% graduation rate, high loan repayment success.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $44,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61, 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.
Saint Mary's College: Common Questions
Is Saint Mary's College worth it?
In our view, it's a fair-value bet - whether Saint Mary's College is worth it depends a lot on your major and aid package. It scores 62/100 on our ROI scale. At $25,292 a year after aid ($101,168 over four years) against $59,354 in typical earnings a decade out, the cost takes about 9.9 years to earn back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
How much does Saint Mary's 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 $25,292 a year, or roughly $101,168 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 Saint Mary's College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $59,354 ten years after enrolling, roughly $17,554 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 Saint Mary's 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 about 9.9 years for Saint Mary's College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Saint Mary's College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $44,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61. 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 Saint Mary's College?
The six-year graduation rate is 69.3%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.