Schreiner University
Kerrville, Texas · Private Nonprofit · 88.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 39/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Schreiner University earns a 39 ROI score (Below Benchmark). Sticker tuition is $39,266, but average net price drops to $21,507 thanks to substantial discounting; total four-year cost lands around $86,028. Earnings are $35,400 at six years and $52,228 at ten. Median debt of $23,250 produces a $246/month payment and a 0.657 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 38). The 13.1-year payback period (sub-score 43) is challenging. Earnings premium is 0.2 (sub-score 41). Schreiner's nursing program produces strong individual outcomes.
How Schreiner 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 Score39/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Schreiner University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $39,266/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $39,266/yr |
| Average net price | $21,507/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $86,028 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $52,228 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $35,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $246 |
| Estimated payback period | 13.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 43.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,053 |
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: $39,266/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,507/year, or roughly $86,028 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 $17,863/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,062/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,250, which works out to about $246 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($35,400) and comes to 0.66, 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 | $17,863 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,987 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $18,712 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,002 |
| $110,001+ | $27,062 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families at $0-$30,000 pay $17,863 net and $30,001-$48,000 pay $15,987. This often signals merit-based discounting that benefits academically stronger applicants regardless of need level. Pell-eligible students should run individual scenarios. At the published $0-30K figure, total four-year cost lands around $71K, which is challenging on a Pell-eligible budget; students will borrow at or above the $23K median.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$48,001-$75,000 households pay $18,712 and $75,001-$110,000 pay $24,002. Total four-year cost ranges $75K-$96K. The math works for nursing-bound students but is structurally weak for the broader major mix.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $27,062 (~$108K over four years). Schreiner's appeal at this level is faith affiliation and small-class environment, not headline ROI.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Schreiner University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $92,978 | B+ |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $64,439 | - |
| Psychology | $45,846 | D |
| Marketing | $63,107 | - |
| Biology | $50,514 | - |
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 standout: 31 graduates, $86,950 first-year earnings rising to $92,978 at year four against $29,706 median debt (0.342 ratio, B+ grade). The high earnings figure likely reflects San Antonio metro placements (Methodist, Baptist Health, Christus Santa Rosa). For a determined nursing student, the program produces real outcomes that justify the private-school cost - the school's structural ROI exists almost entirely because of this program.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology pulls 26 graduates with year-four earnings of $64,439 reported but no first-year or debt data available. The reported number is unusually strong for a kinesiology program, suggesting most graduates pursue PT/OT/chiropractic graduate work. Without those advanced credentials, the underlying bachelor's typically under-earns the cost.
Psychology
Psychology earns a D grade with 19 graduates. First-year earnings of $31,873 rising to $45,846 by year four against $23,125 debt produces a 0.726 ratio. As at most schools, this credential under-earns the cost without graduate school. Students should plan that pathway clearly before borrowing.
Marketing
Marketing posts 9 graduates with $63,107 year-four earnings reported but missing first-year and debt data. The year-four figure is solid for a small private; San Antonio's healthcare and tourism marketing markets likely absorb graduates well. Hard to grade definitively without complete data.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 63.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 65.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 65.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Schreiner 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 | 88.2% |
| Enrollment | 1,053 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 43.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,796 |
Schreiner admits 88.2% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, suggesting a substantially test-optional admissions posture. With a 43.2% completion rate, the school admits many students who do not finish. Prepared students entering with clear nursing or specific career goals do meaningfully better than the institutional averages suggest.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schreiner University (this school) | 39 | $21,507 | $52,228 |
| Abilene Christian University | 51 | $26,182 | $55,736 |
| La Sierra University | 41 | $45,566 | $61,824 |
| Brenau University | 41 | $18,924 | $54,003 |
| Geneva College | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
| Arlington Baptist University | 14 | $24,906 | $44,644 |
Who Thrives Here
Schreiner fits Texas Hill Country students - from Kerrville, San Antonio, the broader I-10 corridor - who value a small Presbyterian-affiliated private experience with strong nursing and pre-health programs. Pell rate of 43.8% reflects a heavily working-class student body. Enrollment of 1,053 keeps things genuinely small. The defensible value path is nursing; outside of that, the institutional cost premium isn't recouped by program-level earnings outcomes.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Schreiner University scores 39/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,507 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $52,228 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13.1 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 43.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $35,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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.
Schreiner University: Common Questions
Is Schreiner University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Schreiner University scores 39/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,507 a year after aid against $52,228 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Schreiner 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 $21,507 a year, or roughly $86,028 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 Schreiner University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $52,228 ten years after enrolling, roughly $10,428 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 Schreiner 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 13.1 years for Schreiner University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Schreiner University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,250, against average earnings of $35,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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 Schreiner University?
The six-year graduation rate is 43.2%. 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.