Stillman College
Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Private Nonprofit · 62.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 6/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Stillman College is a historically Black liberal arts college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA, serving approximately 706 students. The ROI score is 6 (Below Benchmark). Average earnings six years after enrollment are $24,900, while the median student debt is $29,067, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.167, meaning graduates owe more than a full year's earnings. The payback period is listed as 477.5 years. Only 25% of students complete their degree within the standard measurement window, and just 35.8% of borrowers are actively reducing their loan principal three years after leaving school. Nearly 76% of students receive Pell Grants, indicating a heavily low-income student body. These figures demand candid evaluation: Stillman's HBCU mission and community significance are real, but the financial data suggest that students need substantial improvement in institutional support structures - particularly completion and post-graduation earnings - before the financial case for enrollment becomes defensible.
How Stillman 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 Score6/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.17 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate25.0% - 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 period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Stillman College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $12,126/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $12,126/yr |
| Average net price | $15,258/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $61,032 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $35,421 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $24,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $29,067 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $308 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 25.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 706 |
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: $12,126/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 $15,258/year, or roughly $61,032 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 $14,804/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $19,343/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $29,067, which works out to about $308 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($24,900) and comes to 1.17, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $14,804 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,955 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,841 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $15,872 |
| $110,001+ | $19,343 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Pell-eligible students (76% of enrollment) face a net price of approximately $14,804 for the lowest income bracket. Even at this relatively low cost, average post-graduation earnings of $24,900 and a 35.8% three-year repayment rate create genuine repayment hardship for the majority of borrowers. Students relying entirely on grants and family support to avoid debt are in the best position; those borrowing the median $29,067 face a debt-to-earnings ratio that signals high default risk.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income students in the $48,001 - $75,000 range face a net price of $20,841 - substantially higher than lower-income brackets despite presumably similar family financial resources. At four years that approaches $83,000 total, against average six-year earnings of $24,900.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Higher-income students would be paying out of pocket at rates of $15,000 - $19,000 per year net, totaling $60,000 - $77,000 for four years. Average earnings are $24,900.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 22.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 35.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 26.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 29.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Stillman 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 | 62.3% |
| Enrollment | 706 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 76.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,164 |
Stillman accepts about 62% of applicants. No SAT or ACT score ranges are reported, suggesting holistic or open-access admissions for most applicants. The selectivity level is not the primary risk variable - the 25% completion rate is. Students and families should ask pointed questions about advising, retention programs, and financial aid continuity before enrolling.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillman College (this school) | 6 | $15,258 | $35,421 |
| Bennett College | 6 | $28,299 | $36,654 |
| Saint Augustine's University | 6 | $24,313 | $35,730 |
| Alabama State University | 5 | $20,435 | $34,502 |
| Mississippi Valley State University | 5 | $9,686 | $31,919 |
| Harris-Stowe State University | 5 | $9,922 | $31,088 |
Who Thrives Here
Prospective students should be clear-eyed about the data: only one in four enrollees completes a degree, and average post-graduation earnings of $24,900 at six years fall below what many students earn without a degree. Students who can secure full grant coverage and have a concrete plan for degree completion represent the best-fit profile.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Stillman College scores 6/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $15,258 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $35,421 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 25.0% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 35.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $29,067 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $24,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Stillman College: Common Questions
Is Stillman College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Stillman College scores 6/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $15,258 a year after aid against $35,421 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Stillman 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 $15,258 a year, or roughly $61,032 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 Stillman College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $35,421 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 Stillman 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 more than 50 years for Stillman College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Stillman College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $29,067, against average earnings of $24,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Stillman College?
The six-year graduation rate is 25.0%. 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.