Texas Wesleyan University
Fort Worth, Texas · Private Nonprofit · 69.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 37/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Texas Wesleyan University, a private Methodist-affiliated nonprofit in Fort Worth, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 37/100. The numbers underscore a familiar small-private problem: sticker tuition of $39,582 is heavily discounted to a $24,066 net price, but four-year all-in cost still lands at $96,264 - and average earnings six years after entry are just $38,200, climbing to a median $54,053 at ten years. Completion is the biggest drag: only 31.5% of students finish, a low figure that pushes the overall score down sharply. Payback period is 12.4 years and debt-to-earnings is 0.605 - both manageable but not strong. The repayment rate of 55.3% signals that more than four in ten borrowers are not making progress on principal seven years out, a meaningful financial-distress flag. The earnings premium over high-school grads is 19.8%, modest. Texas Wesleyan does have a few specific program bright spots (accounting, bilingual education, finance) where the math works, but the institution-wide picture suggests prospective students should think carefully about whether they will be in the 31% that finishes and whether their target program clears the C-plus ROI grade threshold.
How Texas Wesleyan University 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 Score37/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate31.5% - 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.
Texas Wesleyan University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $39,582/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $39,582/yr |
| Average net price | $24,066/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $96,264 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $54,053 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $38,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,125 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $245 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 31.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,741 |
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: $39,582/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,066/year, or roughly $96,264 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 $21,812/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $31,090/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,125, which works out to about $245 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($38,200) and comes to 0.60, 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 | $21,812 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $22,876 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $25,687 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,699 |
| $110,001+ | $31,090 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $21,812 per year net - aid helps, but the absolute price is still significant given $38,200 average earnings. Four-year cost is $87,248. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $22,876.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income households ($48,001-$110,000) pay $25,687 to $27,699 per year. Four-year cost runs $102,000-$111,000. At those prices, the institutional ROI case requires either a strong program match (accounting, finance, bilingual ed) or a non-financial rationale around the Methodist mission and small-classroom experience.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $31,090 per year - still discounted from sticker but approaching it. Four-year cost is $124,360. Texas Wesleyan does not offer the financial profile that justifies private-tuition prices for high-income families absent a clear mission fit.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Texas Wesleyan University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $46,737 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $62,016 | C |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $54,415 | C |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $49,909 | C |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $62,298 | D |
| Accounting | $71,296 | C+ |
| Finance and Financial Management | $66,248 | C+ |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $34,209 | C |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | $60,830 | C+ |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $58,868 | 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.
Accounting
Accounting (17 grads) is the strongest program - $59,399 first-year earnings, $71,296 at four years, $31,000 debt, and a 0.522 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a C+ ROI grade. The Fort Worth and broader DFW accounting labor market is strong, and Texas Wesleyan's program feeds into it credibly. One of the few institutional bets that holds up financially.
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
Bilingual education (10 grads) posts $56,738 first-year earnings, $60,830 at four years, $26,500 debt, and a 0.467 debt-to-earnings ratio - a C+ ROI grade. Texas's bilingual teacher shortage drives the strong starting salary; the relatively flat four-year curve reflects the public-school salary schedule. Solid niche play.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
General business (29 grads) earns $40,117 at year one and $62,016 at year four, with $22,250 debt and a 0.555 debt-to-earnings ratio - a C ROI grade. The four-year earnings ramp is respectable.
Psychology
Psychology is the largest soft-major cohort at 30 graduates with weak outcomes: $27,981 first-year earnings, $46,737 at four years, $24,562 debt, and a 0.878 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a D ROI grade. Standard psychology-undergrad problem - earnings ceiling without graduate study. Consider this a feeder to therapy or counseling masters, not a terminal credential.
Marketing
Marketing (8 grads) earns only $28,332 at year one rising to $55,615 at year four, with $23,000 debt and a 0.812 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. The first-year earnings are unusually low for a marketing major and suggest weak placement support in the local DFW market.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 48.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 55.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 52.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 58.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Texas Wesleyan University’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 | 69.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 520-580 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 500-520 |
| Enrollment | 1,741 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 44.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,367 |
Texas Wesleyan admits 69.16% of applicants - moderately selective but accessible to most prepared Texas students. SAT mid-ranges are 520-580 math and 500-520 reading, mainstream regional-private numbers, with ACT not reported. The relatively narrow reading-score band suggests a fairly homogeneous applicant pool. The 31% completion rate paired with moderate selectivity suggests that academic preparation is not the chief retention problem - more likely a mix of financial pressure and life-circumstance attrition.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Wesleyan University (this school) | 37 | $24,066 | $54,053 |
| Abilene Christian University | 51 | $26,182 | $55,736 |
| Felician University | 40 | $40,045 | $57,602 |
| Springfield College | 36 | $30,587 | $48,036 |
| United Talmudical Seminary | 26 | $6,640 | $25,113 |
| Arlington Baptist University | 14 | $24,906 | $44,644 |
Who Thrives Here
Texas Wesleyan enrolls 1,741 students with a 44.7% Pell rate, indicating a heavily working-class urban Fort Worth student body. The school fits a first-generation Texas student seeking a small-classroom Methodist-affiliated experience, particularly one targeting accounting, bilingual education, or finance where program-specific outcomes are workable.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Texas Wesleyan University scores 37/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,066 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $54,053 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.4 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 to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 31.5% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 55.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $23,125 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $38,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.60, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Texas Wesleyan University: Common Questions
Is Texas Wesleyan University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Texas Wesleyan University scores 37/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,066 a year after aid against $54,053 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Texas Wesleyan University 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 $24,066 a year, or roughly $96,264 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 Texas Wesleyan University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $54,053 ten years after enrolling, roughly $12,253 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 Texas Wesleyan University?
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 12.4 years for Texas Wesleyan University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Texas Wesleyan University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,125, against average earnings of $38,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.60. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Texas Wesleyan University?
The six-year graduation rate is 31.5%. 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.