Talmudical Seminary of Bobov
Brooklyn, New York · Private Nonprofit · 97.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 20/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Talmudical Seminary of Bobov scores 20 (Below Benchmark). Tuition is $13,200, net price after aid is just $2,840, and four-year total cost is only $11,360 - extraordinarily low. Median debt is not reported, likely because students borrow essentially nothing, so our debt-to-earnings measure gets a neutral middle score of 50. The headline anomaly: median earnings ten years out are just $22,432, well below typical high-school-graduate earnings - the earnings premium is a deeply negative -1.106 (scoring 0/100) and payback registers as 999 years. This is because Scorecard captures earnings of Hasidic-community graduates who often work in community-internal roles (teaching, religious functions, family businesses) where reported wages are low, or whose families operate within insular economic networks not fully captured by federal wage data. Completion is 39.2%. Conventional ROI metrics do not meaningfully describe this institution; earnings never recoup cost in conventional terms, but the conventional terms aren't the right frame.
How Talmudical Seminary of Bobov 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 Score20/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate39.2% - 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.
Talmudical Seminary of Bobov
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $13,200/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $13,200/yr |
| Average net price | $2,840/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $11,360 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $22,432 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $22,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | N/A |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | N/A |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 602 |
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: $13,200/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $2,840/year, or roughly $11,360 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 $1,852/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $9,344/year. If money is tight, that matters: this school gives low-income students enough aid to land well below the sticker price.
The Department of Education does not report a median debt figure for this school, usually because too few students borrow federal loans for the figure to be published. Our ROI score gives this measure a neutral middle value rather than treating it as zero debt.
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 | $1,852 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $1,965 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $6,547 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $1,900 |
| $110,001+ | $9,344 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $1,852 per year - essentially free, given Pell coverage. The 96.9% Pell rate indicates this is the dominant student profile. Total four-year cost around $7,400 is trivial against any earnings outcome.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The income brackets show highly inverted patterns: the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $1,965, the $48,001-$75,000 bracket jumps to $6,547, the $75,001-$110,000 bracket drops back to $1,900, and the $110,001-plus bracket jumps to $9,344. This non-monotonic pattern is a clear small-sample artifact reflecting the institution's tiny middle-income enrollment. Flag noted for the unusual pattern; not a reliable signal for prospective families.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $9,344 - the highest figure across brackets, but still extraordinarily low by conventional college-cost standards. The bracket structure here is essentially noise given the tiny sample sizes in non-Pell brackets.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Talmudical Seminary of Bobov with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Religion/Religious Studies | $20,163 | - |
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.
Religion/Religious Studies
Religion/Religious Studies is the sole program, with 78 graduates and first-year earnings of $17,618 climbing only to $20,163 by year four - extremely modest. Debt data is missing because students don't borrow. The earnings figures reflect the realities of community-internal employment patterns and reported-wage limitations rather than the value of the rabbinical education itself, which is the defining credential of the Bobov community. Conventional ROI grades are not applicable to this program.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | N/A | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | N/A | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Talmudical Seminary of Bobov’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 97.9% |
| Enrollment | 602 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 96.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $3,274 |
Bobov admits 97.9% of applicants. SAT and ACT data are not reported.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talmudical Seminary of Bobov (this school) | 20 | $2,840 | $22,432 |
| Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary | 33 | $3,822 | $36,442 |
| Hebrew Theological College | 27 | $26,861 | $33,291 |
| Machzikei Hadath Rabbinical College | 27 | $16,515 | $41,527 |
| Rabbinical College of America | 20 | $15,628 | $34,990 |
| Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz | 17 | $21,437 | $35,023 |
Who Thrives Here
With 602 students and a 96.9% Pell rate, Bobov serves the Bobover Hasidic community of Brooklyn almost exclusively. The student body is male, married young, and pursuing rabbinical ordination or advanced Torah scholarship within the Hasidic tradition. Fit is functionally a community-membership question, not an academic-selection question. The institution is part of the religious infrastructure of the Bobov community; conventional college-search criteria don't apply.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Talmudical Seminary of Bobov scores 20/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $2,840 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $22,432 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 39.2% graduation rate, a long payback period.
Talmudical Seminary of Bobov: Common Questions
Is Talmudical Seminary of Bobov worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Talmudical Seminary of Bobov scores 20/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $2,840 a year after aid against $22,432 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 Talmudical Seminary of Bobov 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 $2,840 a year, or roughly $11,360 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 Talmudical Seminary of Bobov graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $22,432 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 Talmudical Seminary of Bobov?
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 Talmudical Seminary of Bobov. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Talmudical Seminary of Bobov?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.2%. 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.