Southwestern Christian University
Bethany, Oklahoma · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 14/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southwestern Christian University earns a 14/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier. The data is uniformly weak. Average earnings six years after entry are just $28,400, climbing to a median $40,391 by year ten. The earnings premium of 6.7% over a high-school graduate is essentially negligible. Net price averages $20,146 against a $21,900 sticker, indicating very limited institutional aid. Total four-year cost is $80,584. The implied payback period is 40.9 years - effectively never within a working career. Median federal debt is $20,715, producing a 0.729 debt-to-earnings ratio. Completion is low at 16.1%. Repayment performance is low: 53% of borrowers are making progress at three years, falling to 48% at five years. The honest read: SCU is a tiny Pentecostal Holiness Church-affiliated college whose primary value proposition is faith-formation for a narrow community of denominationally-aligned students. The 16% completion rate suggests significant student-experience problems beyond program quality. Under our methodology the financial return is low, and students should minimize borrowing.
How Southwestern Christian 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 Score14/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate16.1% - 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 period40.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Southwestern Christian University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,900/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,900/yr |
| Average net price | $20,146/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $80,584 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $40,391 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,715 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $220 |
| Estimated payback period | 40.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 16.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 377 |
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: $21,900/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $20,146/year, or roughly $80,584 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 $18,830/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,620/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,715, which works out to about $220 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($28,400) and comes to 0.73, 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 | $18,830 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,903 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $18,700 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,401 |
| $110,001+ | $26,620 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $18,830 net price. Note bracket inversion: the $30K-$48K bracket pays $16,903, MEANINGFULLY LESS than the lowest-income bracket. This is a clear data anomaly worth questioning. Across four years, net cost is $75,320 against $28,400 average six-year earnings. Pell-eligible students should treat this institution as financially incompatible with their resources.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $16,903 ($30K-$48K), $18,700 ($48K-$75K), and $22,401 ($75K-$110K). Aid is broadly flat across the lower middle and rises sharply at the $75K threshold. The $30K-$48K bracket is the value sweet spot due to the inversion noted above.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $26,620 - $4,720 ABOVE the $21,900 sticker tuition, indicating room-board-fees push total cost-of-attendance well above tuition alone. Over four years that's $106,480. Given $40,391 ten-year median earnings, the math does not work for any income tier. This is a denominationally-motivated choice, not an economic one.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Southwestern Christian University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $46,137 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $49,297 | F |
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.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology is SCU's largest tracked program with 22 graduates per cohort. Earnings are $30,063 one year out and $46,137 four years out. Median debt is $22,375 against a 0.744 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). Many kinesiology students intend graduate school in PT/OT/PA tracks; bachelor's-only outcomes are weak.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business administration graduates earn $38,812 one year out and $49,297 four years out, against a stunning $40,416 median debt - twice the school median - producing a 1.041 debt-to-earnings ratio (F grade). 16 graduates per cohort. The debt level here is dramatically higher than the school average, suggesting business students borrow heavily to attend. With those debt-to-earnings dynamics, this is a structurally poor financial choice; Oklahoma publics produce business graduates at one-quarter the debt level.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 56.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 53.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 47.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 57.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southwestern Christian 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
| Enrollment | 377 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 46.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,229 |
SCU's admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are also not reported, consistent with test-optional admissions and small reporting samples. The completion rate is 16.1%. Prospective students and families should ask hard questions about academic-support services and graduation rates by program before enrolling.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Christian University (this school) | 14 | $20,146 | $40,391 |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | 18 | $19,359 | $35,604 |
| Toccoa Falls College | 16 | $21,642 | $36,630 |
| Arlington Baptist University | 14 | $24,906 | $44,644 |
| Emmanuel University | 12 | $20,925 | $38,208 |
| Great Lakes Christian College | 12 | $15,524 | $31,053 |
Who Thrives Here
SCU enrolls just 377 students with a 46.7% Pell rate - a small, heavily access-mission Christian college. The student body is predominantly drawn by Pentecostal Holiness Church identity and small-campus religious formation. The fit profile is exceptionally narrow: students specifically called to ministry within this denominational tradition who can fully fund their education without significant borrowing. Anyone choosing SCU primarily for academic or career outcomes is making a poor choice given the data; Oklahoma's strong public regionals deliver dramatically better outcomes at lower net cost.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southwestern Christian University scores 14/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,146 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $40,391 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 40.9 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 16.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 53.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,715 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $28,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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 Christian University: Common Questions
Is Southwestern Christian University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southwestern Christian University scores 14/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,146 a year after aid against $40,391 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 40.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southwestern Christian 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 $20,146 a year, or roughly $80,584 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 Christian University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $40,391 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 Southwestern Christian 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 40.9 years for Southwestern Christian University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southwestern Christian University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,715, against average earnings of $28,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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 Christian University?
The six-year graduation rate is 16.1%. 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.