Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah
Brooklyn, New York · Private Nonprofit · 77.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 25/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah is an Orthodox Jewish religious seminary in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, scoring 25 (Below Benchmark) by our scoring methodology. The score is somewhat misleading because traditional ROI metrics don't capture the school's mission. The data: $8,750 tuition, $10,755 net price, no reported median debt (federal loan participation appears minimal, so our debt measure gets a neutral middle score), and ten-year median earnings of just $39,230. Earnings are this low because most graduates pursue religious vocations (rabbinical study, Jewish education, community service) rather than secular career paths that show up in federal earnings data. Completion is 22.2% as measured by Scorecard's 4-year/6-year metric, but that metric doesn't capture religious-study persistence that often continues across multiple institutions and life stages. With 400 students and 64.6% Pell rate, the school serves an overwhelmingly Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, this is a religious institution whose value is measured in spiritual and communal terms, not financial ones - our score should be interpreted in that context.
How Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah 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 Score25/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate22.2% - 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 period43.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $8,750/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $8,750/yr |
| Average net price | $10,755/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $43,020 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $39,230 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | N/A |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | N/A |
| Estimated payback period | 43.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 22.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 400 |
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: $8,750/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 $10,755/year, or roughly $43,020 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 $10,333/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
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 | $10,333 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $9,714 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $11,613 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $12,506 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $10,333 net per year, and the $30K-$48K band pays $9,714 - a mild inverted bracket. Pell-stacking helps, and the school's low absolute price keeps four-year cost near $40K. Within the Orthodox Jewish community context, this is affordable and the family expectation of religious vocation makes secular earnings data largely irrelevant.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $11,613 and the $75K-$110K band pays $12,506. Middle-income costs are roughly $46K-$50K over four years. The financial analysis is largely moot here - families enrolling at Oholei Torah are doing so for religious reasons, not financial-return reasons.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for families above $110K is not reported, likely because the school enrolls very few such families - the institution's mission and community draw from a defined religious population rather than across income strata.
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 Oholei Torah’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 | 77.2% |
| Enrollment | 400 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 64.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,365 |
Oholei Torah admits 77.2% of applicants. The school does not report SAT or ACT mid-ranges, consistent with religious-seminary admission processes that emphasize Jewish learning background, rabbinical recommendations, and personal interview rather than standardized testing. The 22.2% completion rate as measured by Scorecard methodology is structurally low because the metric doesn't accommodate religious-study patterns that span multiple yeshivot, kollelim, and life stages.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah (this school) | 25 | $10,755 | $39,230 |
| Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary | 33 | $3,822 | $36,442 |
| Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College | 29 | $10,880 | $41,785 |
| Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel | 29 | $4,156 | $31,853 |
| United Talmudical Seminary | 26 | $6,640 | $25,113 |
| Talmudical Seminary of Bobov | 20 | $2,840 | $22,432 |
Who Thrives Here
Oholei Torah fits Orthodox Jewish students - primarily young men from Chabad-Lubavitch and broader Chasidic communities - pursuing intensive Talmudic study and rabbinical training. With 64.6% Pell rate and 400 students, the campus serves an economically modest but tight-knit religious community. The school's value is entirely captured in its religious mission; secular career-outcome metrics fundamentally don't apply. Strong fit only for students committed to a life of Jewish learning and religious vocation; bad fit (in terms of relevant analysis) for anyone evaluating it through a career-ROI lens.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah scores 25/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $10,755 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $39,230 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 43.3 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 22.2% graduation rate, a long payback period.
Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah: Common Questions
Is Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah scores 25/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $10,755 a year after aid against $39,230 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 43.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah 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 $10,755 a year, or roughly $43,020 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 Oholei Torah graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $39,230 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 Oholei Torah?
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 43.3 years for Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah?
The six-year graduation rate is 22.2%. 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.