Sterling College
Sterling, Kansas · Private Nonprofit · 48.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 26/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Sterling College, a small Presbyterian Christian liberal arts school in central Kansas, scores 26 (Below Benchmark). The numbers: $33,700 tuition, $22,371 net price (34% discount), $24,625 median federal debt, and ten-year median earnings of just $45,846. The 0.774 debt-to-earnings ratio and 21.2-year payback period both signal structural ROI weakness. The bright spot is the repayment rate at 78.8%, suggesting graduates who do complete are reasonably reliable about debt service. With only 538 students and 37% Pell rate, Sterling is a small college. The school's identity centers on Christian formation and small-college community; the financial outcomes don't justify the cost on a pure-ROI basis.
How Sterling 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 Score26/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period21.2 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Sterling College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,700/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,700/yr |
| Average net price | $22,371/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $89,484 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,846 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,625 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $261 |
| Estimated payback period | 21.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 41.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 538 |
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: $33,700/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,371/year, or roughly $89,484 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 $19,068/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,602/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,625, which works out to about $261 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,800) and comes to 0.77, 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 | $19,068 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $19,236 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,975 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,525 |
| $110,001+ | $26,602 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $19,068 net per year, and the $30K-$48K band pays roughly the same at $19,236. Pell stacks effectively. Low-income students face roughly $76K-$77K four-year out-of-pocket cost - severe against $46K median earnings at ten years out unless the student lands in one of the few professional tracks Sterling supports.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $21,975 and the $75K-$110K band climbs to $23,525. Middle-income Kansas families face $88K-$94K in four-year cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $26,602 net per year, totaling roughly $106K over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Sterling College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $38,771 | D |
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 the only program with sufficient data: 16 graduates with $30,086 first-year earnings, $27,250 debt, and a 0.906 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). Graduates owe roughly 91 cents for every dollar of annual income. The program likely feeds physical therapy and athletic training graduate aspirations; bachelor's-only outcomes are weak. Sterling's broader program-level data is sparse, suggesting the institution is too small to produce statistically meaningful graduate cohorts in most majors.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 73.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 78.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 69.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 67.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Sterling 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 | 48.2% |
| Enrollment | 538 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 37.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,904 |
Sterling admits 48.2% of applicants - notably selective for a small Christian liberal arts school with limited program offerings. The university does not report SAT or ACT mid-ranges in current Scorecard data. The 41.3% completion rate is weak relative to the selective admit profile - suggesting financial pressure and persistence challenges that the admissions screen doesn't fully capture.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Sterling's ROI score is 26.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling College (this school) | 26 | $22,371 | $45,846 |
| Baker University | 65 | $25,301 | $63,855 |
| Benedictine College | 45 | $27,891 | $53,175 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
Who Thrives Here
With 37% Pell rate and just 538 students, the school is intimate and economically modest. The student body is overwhelmingly drawn to its religious identity rather than its career pipeline. Strong fit only for students whose primary criterion is Christian community and small-scale residential experience; weak fit for anyone optimizing for earnings, professional opportunity, or graduate-school placement. The financial math implies this is a values purchase.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Sterling College scores 26/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,371 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,846 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 21.2 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 41.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,625 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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.
Sterling College: Common Questions
Is Sterling College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Sterling College scores 26/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,371 a year after aid against $45,846 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 21.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Sterling 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 $22,371 a year, or roughly $89,484 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 Sterling College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,846 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,046 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 Sterling 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 21.2 years for Sterling College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Sterling College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,625, against average earnings of $31,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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 Sterling College?
The six-year graduation rate is 41.3%. 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.