The University of Olivet
Olivet, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 83.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
The University of Olivet scores 23 on the CampusROI scale and lands in the Below Benchmark tier. The headline problem is a 35.3% completion rate, which drags the completion sub-score down to 15 and means roughly two of every three entering students do not finish here. Among those who do, the financial math stays difficult: $27,000 of median debt against $31,000 in six-year earnings produces a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.871 (sub-score 10), and the Scorecard payback period sits at 17.5 years. Ten-year median earnings recover to $47,907, but the earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate is just 15.1% (sub-score 28). The cost picture is mixed. Sticker tuition is $34,068 and net price is $21,393, yielding a four-year cost of roughly $85,572. The issue is that even at that lower price, low completion and weak early earnings combine to hold the ROI score down. Olivet's value case rests almost entirely on completing the degree, which most enrollees do not.
How The University of Olivet 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 Score23/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate35.3% - 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 period17.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
The University of Olivet
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $34,068/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $34,068/yr |
| Average net price | $21,393/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $85,572 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,907 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 17.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 35.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 892 |
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: $34,068/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,393/year, or roughly $85,572 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 $19,656/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,068/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,000) and comes to 0.87, 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 | $19,656 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $20,442 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,564 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,730 |
| $110,001+ | $24,068 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 are quoted $19,656 net per year (about $78,624 over four years). That is the lowest bracket on file and is achievable with maximum Pell plus institutional aid. With a near 50% Pell rate, this is the modal Olivet family. The bigger risk for these households is not sticker price, it is the 35% completion rate combined with $27,000 of typical debt for those who do not finish.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income households ($48,001-110,000) pay $20,564-$21,730 net per year, only marginally more than the lowest bracket, putting four-year cost in the $82,000-$87,000 range. Against $31,000 six-year earnings, the math is tight if the student completes. The 17.5-year payback period assumes completion; non-completers carry the debt without the credential.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 are quoted $24,068 per year net, roughly $96,272 over four years. Aid scales appropriately with income, and the price gap between top and bottom brackets ($4,412/year) is reasonable.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at The University of Olivet with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $43,475 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,380 | D |
| Biology | $42,353 | D |
| Insurance | $62,740 | B |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $56,379 | C |
| Psychology | $25,656 | F |
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 one of Olivet's larger programs at 28 graduates and posts an F grade. First-year earnings of $24,879 climb only to $43,475 by year four, while median debt is $29,578, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.189. Without graduate school in physical therapy or athletic training, this credential does not pay back on a reasonable timeline.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 26 students with $37,035 in year one and $63,380 by year four. The D grade reflects $27,000 of debt and a 0.729 debt-to-earnings ratio, but the four-year earnings trajectory is encouraging and this is among the more defensible paths at Olivet for a student who completes.
Biology
Biology produces 23 graduates with $34,415 first-year earnings and $42,353 at four years. Debt-to-earnings of 0.785 yields a D. Without medical, dental, or graduate-school continuation, Biology earnings stay flat through year four, which is a common pattern at small privates and not unique to Olivet.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 21 students with strong outcomes: $48,328 first-year, $56,379 at year four, $27,000 of debt, and a 0.559 debt-to-earnings ratio for a C grade. Local Michigan corrections, county, and federal placements are clearly working and this is a real bright spot for the school.
Insurance
Insurance is the standout: 21 graduates earning $56,027 in year one and $62,740 by year four, with $24,710 of debt and a 0.441 debt-to-earnings ratio for a B grade. This is Olivet's only program with clearly positive ROI math, and it likely reflects direct industry pipeline placements that bypass the broader earnings problem affecting the rest of the catalog.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 59.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 65.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 56.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 59.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How The University of Olivet’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 | 83.3% |
| Enrollment | 892 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 49.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,387 |
SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. The combination of a high admit rate and a 35% completion rate is the classic mismatch pattern: the screen is permissive but the curriculum and finances do not retain admitted students, so academic preparation and Pell-eligibility realities show up later as attrition rather than at the front door.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Olivet (this school) | 23 | $21,393 | $47,907 |
| Albion College | 65 | $14,301 | $58,799 |
| Adrian College | 39 | $25,368 | $55,504 |
| Mary Baldwin University | 25 | $12,756 | $44,427 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Barranquitas | 20 | $8,726 | $23,204 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is small at 892 students with a 49.5% Pell rate, so this is a high-Pell, high-need student body in rural mid-Michigan. The data suggest Olivet works best for students entering specific career-aligned programs (Insurance, Criminal Justice) where post-graduate placement is concrete, and works poorly for students drawn to broad liberal arts paths who will hit the same low completion and low earnings curve as the median. A prospective student should treat completion risk as the primary question: at 35%, the most likely individual outcome is leaving without a degree.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, The University of Olivet scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,393 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,907 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 17.5 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 35.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 65.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87. 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.
The University of Olivet: Common Questions
Is The University of Olivet worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. The University of Olivet scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,393 a year after aid against $47,907 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 17.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does The University of Olivet 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 $21,393 a year, or roughly $85,572 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 The University of Olivet graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,907 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,107 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 The University of Olivet?
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 17.5 years for The University of Olivet. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do The University of Olivet graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $31,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87. 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 The University of Olivet?
The six-year graduation rate is 35.3%. 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.