St. John's College
Annapolis, Maryland · Private Nonprofit · 55.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 33/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
St. John's College in Annapolis earns a 33/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier - a result that demands context. St. John's is the famous Great Books college: every student takes the same four-year curriculum reading Plato, Euclid, Newton, and Tolstoy in original languages where possible. The data reflects what that means financially: average earnings six years after entry are $31,600, climbing to a median $51,584 by year ten. The school's structural feature is that net price ($45,597) actually EXCEEDS sticker tuition ($40,684) - because room, board, and fees push total cost-of-attendance above tuition alone, and institutional aid is moderate. Total four-year cost is $182,388. Median federal debt is $27,000 (capped near federal limits; significant additional borrowing happens privately). The 0.854 debt-to-earnings ratio is severe. The implied payback period is 19.4 years. The bright spots are completion (71.4%, well above private-college averages and the second-strongest sub-score) and repayment (80% three-year). The earnings premium of 9.1% is genuinely weak, and the school is unapologetic about this: St. John's openly markets that its graduates often pursue graduate study (law, philosophy, theology) and that the financial outcome is back-loaded behind those next-credential decisions. The honest framing: this is a distinctive intellectual experience and a financially expensive choice; it is not an upgrade pathway for direct-entry workforce earnings.
How St. John's College 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 Score33/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period19.4 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
St. John's College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $40,684/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $40,684/yr |
| Average net price | $45,597/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $182,388 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,584 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 19.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 471 |
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: $40,684/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $45,597/year, or roughly $182,388 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 $42,528/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $45,828/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 ($31,600) and comes to 0.85, 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 | $42,528 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $46,145 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $44,755 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $49,373 |
| $110,001+ | $45,828 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $42,528 net price. Note the bracket inversion: the $30K-$48K bracket pays $46,145, MORE than the $0-$30K bracket. Across four years, low-income families face $170,112 net cost. This is structurally incompatible with low-income family resources unless layered with substantial outside scholarships. St. John's is not effectively accessible to Pell-eligible students.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $46,145 ($30K-$48K), $44,755 ($48K-$75K), and $49,373 ($75K-$110K). The aid curve zigzags rather than scaling smoothly with need - another sign of the small-cohort statistical noise (471 students total). The $48K-$75K bracket pays slightly less than the $30K-$48K bracket, an inversion. Families across the middle pay roughly the same - aid is broadly available but not steeply need-based.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $45,828 - effectively the same as the $0-$30K bracket. Over four years that's $183,312 net. Note also that the $75K-$110K bracket pays $49,373, MORE than the highest bracket. This pattern indicates St. John's institutional aid is not strongly need-based and inversely affects upper-middle families. Wealthy families face a $183K commitment to the Great Books experience.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at St. John's College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $44,652 | 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.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal arts and sciences IS the entire curriculum at St. John's - every student earns this degree because there are no other majors. Graduates earn $25,307 one year out, climbing to $44,652 four years out. Median debt is $27,000 against a 1.067 debt-to-earnings ratio - F grade. With 91 graduates this is the entire graduating class. The honest read: these earnings reflect that ~50% of graduates pursue graduate or professional school directly, often in fields (academia, theology, law, philosophy) where bachelor's-level earnings don't capture lifetime value. For students enrolling specifically because Great Books IS the point, the financial outcome is the price of that intellectual commitment.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 77.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 79.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 86.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 82.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How St. John'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 | 55.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 590-690 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 680-750 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 27-32 |
| Enrollment | 471 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 20.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,919 |
St. John's admits 55% of applicants, with SAT mid-ranges of 590-690 math and 680-750 reading and an ACT composite mid-range of 27-32. Test scores reflect the students who self-select into a Great Books curriculum: highly literate, intellectually committed. The 71.4% completion rate is consistent with the selectivity profile and reflects strong fit between the curriculum and the matriculating student.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's College (this school) | 33 | $45,597 | $51,584 |
| Capitol Technology University | 79 | $22,102 | $85,035 |
| Washington Adventist University | 55 | $18,526 | $64,249 |
| Boricua College | 37 | $15,245 | $35,348 |
| Bethany College | 31 | $27,686 | $49,694 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
Who Thrives Here
St. John's enrolls 471 students with a 20.1% Pell rate. The fit profile is exceptionally narrow: students passionate about Great Books, primary-text reading, Socratic discussion, and intellectual life for its own sake - and either independently wealthy, willing to take on substantial debt for the experience, or intent on graduate study where the credential's signaling pays back. Anyone choosing St. John's primarily to optimize earnings is making a category error.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, St. John's College scores 33/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $45,597 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,584 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 19.4 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 it has going for it: its 71.4% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85. 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.
St. John's College: Common Questions
Is St. John's College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. St. John's College scores 33/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $45,597 a year after aid against $51,584 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 19.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does St. John'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 $45,597 a year, or roughly $182,388 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 St. John's College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,584 ten years after enrolling, roughly $9,784 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 St. John'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 19.4 years for St. John's College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do St. John's College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $31,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85. 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 St. John's College?
The six-year graduation rate is 71.4%, 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.