Southwestern Adventist University
Keene, Texas · Private Nonprofit · 78.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 41/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southwestern Adventist University scores 41/100 (Below Benchmark), a Seventh-day Adventist private nonprofit in rural Texas whose economics depend heavily on nursing. Tuition is $25,380 against a $22,778 net price (a modest 10% institutional discount), with four-year total cost of $91,112. Average 6-year earnings are $39,000, rising to a median $52,946 by year 10. Median debt is $26,998, yielding a 0.692 debt-to-earnings ratio (30/100 sub-score). The 12.9-year payback period is workable, completion rate is 52.3%, and three-year repayment rate of 72.6% (47/100) shows borrowers manage payments reasonably. Earnings premium of 0.197 over high-school baseline is modest. The 71-graduate nursing program is the school's flagship economic engine with $76,795 first-year earnings and a B ROI grade; outside nursing, the program data thins out fast. SWAU serves 570 students with a 42.1% Pell rate; the school's Adventist mission and rural Keene TX setting attract students for faith and community reasons more than for ROI signals.
How Southwestern Adventist 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 Score41/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Southwestern Adventist University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $25,380/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $25,380/yr |
| Average net price | $22,778/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $91,112 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $52,946 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $39,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,998 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 52.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 570 |
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: $25,380/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,778/year, or roughly $91,112 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 $16,725/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $31,475/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,998, 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 ($39,000) 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 | $16,725 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,462 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,441 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,439 |
| $110,001+ | $31,475 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $16,725 net, or $66,900 over four years. The bracket pricing is severely inverted: families in $48,001-$75,000 actually pay the least at $15,441, while $30,001-$48,000 pays $21,462. This inversion is the most pronounced in our recent dataset and suggests aid-stacking quirks where mid-bracket families catch institutional merit. Worth contacting the financial aid office to clarify.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The middle-income range shows the inversion clearly: $30,001-$48,000 pays $21,462, $48,001-$75,000 pays $15,441 (the cheapest tier of all), and $75,001-$110,000 pays $27,439. This is a structural aid stacking anomaly. Middle-middle income students apparently get strong merit-need combinations; lower-middle income students do not. Worth modeling explicitly through the net price calculator.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $31,475 net, or $125,900 over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Southwestern Adventist University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $88,324 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $33,999 | D |
| Education, General | $45,551 | C |
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 school's flagship economic engine and only B-grade program: 71 graduates, $76,795 first-year earnings rising to $88,324 by year four, $31,000 debt and a 0.404 debt-to-earnings ratio. Dallas-Fort Worth metro hospital pay scales drive strong wage outcomes, and SWAU's BSN pipeline absorbs graduates well. This single program carries most of SWAU's value proposition; for nursing-track students, the school is a legitimate economic choice.
Education, General
Education produces an unreported number of graduates with $45,551 first-year earnings (no year-4 data) and $27,000 debt for a 0.593 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade. Texas teacher demand absorbs graduates, but starting a teaching career at this debt level against capped public-school wages is rough.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business has just 5 graduates with $33,999 first-year earnings (no year-4 data) against $27,000 debt for a 0.794 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 62.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 72.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 56.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 64.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southwestern Adventist 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 | 78.4% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 445-590 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 465-610 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 17-25 |
| Enrollment | 570 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 42.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,313 |
SWAU admits 78.4% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 445-590 math and 465-610 reading, and ACT mid-range 17-25. The 52.3% completion rate aligns: prepared students (nursing track in particular, which has tight academic requirements) complete at higher rates than the schoolwide average. Bottom-half admits face attrition risk.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Adventist University (this school) | 41 | $22,778 | $52,946 |
| Northwest Nazarene University | 41 | $29,580 | $51,719 |
| Westminster College | 41 | $24,314 | $52,199 |
| Eastern Nazarene College | 40 | $25,381 | $54,727 |
| Clear Creek Baptist Bible College | 31 | $10,949 | $41,623 |
| Hobe Sound Bible College | 30 | $12,074 | $39,863 |
Who Thrives Here
Southwestern Adventist University fits Seventh-day Adventist students seeking a small denominational college experience, committed to nursing or education as their major, and able to keep net price in the $15,000-$22,000 range through institutional aid stacking. With 570 students and 42.1% Pell, the campus is intimate and mission-driven.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southwestern Adventist University scores 41/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,778 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $52,946 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.9 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 52.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $26,998 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $39,000 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.
Southwestern Adventist University: Common Questions
Is Southwestern Adventist University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southwestern Adventist University scores 41/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,778 a year after aid against $52,946 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southwestern Adventist 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 $22,778 a year, or roughly $91,112 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 Southwestern Adventist University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $52,946 ten years after enrolling, roughly $11,146 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 Southwestern Adventist 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 12.9 years for Southwestern Adventist University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southwestern Adventist University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,998, against average earnings of $39,000 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 Southwestern Adventist University?
The six-year graduation rate is 52.3%. 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.