Thiel College
Greenville, Pennsylvania · Private Nonprofit · 71.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 33/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Thiel College earns an ROI score of 33 (Below Benchmark), with weak sub-scores across the board: a 16.5% earnings premium, a 15.6-year payback period, a 0.785 debt-to-earnings ratio (heavy), a 48.7% completion rate, and a 74.2% three-year repayment rate. Sticker tuition is $38,344, net price $22,347 (deep discounting), and median student debt is $27,000. Average earnings 6 years out are $34,400, climbing to a median $49,714 at 10 years - a moderate trajectory. The 4-year total cost of $89,388 against those earnings produces structurally tight ROI math. Thiel is a small (788 students) Lutheran liberal arts college in Greenville, Pennsylvania, with a 40.8% Pell rate. Five programs are reported; accounting posts the strongest 4-year earnings ($69,280, but no debt data) and business administration is the largest cohort with C-grade outcomes. The honest read: Thiel competes in the rural-Pennsylvania small-private segment where ROI math is structurally challenging. Without a high-earning anchor program (no nursing or engineering at this scale), the institutional value case rests on mission, athletics, and small-school fit rather than financial return.
How Thiel 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 Score33/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period15.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Thiel College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $38,344/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $38,344/yr |
| Average net price | $22,347/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $89,388 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $49,714 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 788 |
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: $38,344/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,347/year, or roughly $89,388 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 $17,247/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,400/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 ($34,400) and comes to 0.79, 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 | $17,247 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $20,947 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,038 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,683 |
| $110,001+ | $26,400 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $17,247 net annually - the lowest tier, helped by Pell and PA state grants. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays MORE ($20,947), an inverted pattern likely reflecting the loss of full Pell at the lower edge of that bracket combined with state grant phase-outs. Over four years that's $69K against $49K median 10-year earnings - tight but workable for committed students.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $20,038 - similar to the $30,001-$48,000 bracket. The aid pattern flattens through the lower-middle tiers. Over four years that's $80K out of pocket, requiring strong major selection (accounting, business) to keep the ROI defensible.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Top-bracket families ($110,001+) pay $26,400 net per year - close to two-thirds of sticker.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Thiel College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $56,140 | C |
| Psychology | $43,457 | F |
| Special Education and Teaching | $52,302 | - |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $43,186 | D |
| Accounting | $69,280 | - |
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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is Thiel's largest reported program at 43 graduates per year. Median earnings of $44,281 first-year and $56,140 four-year against $27,000 median debt produce a 0.610 ratio (C grade). Earnings climb is moderate. A defensible mainstream choice but not exceptional - the Greenville/western PA labor market is the binding constraint on placement quality.
Accounting
Accounting (7 graduates) posts Thiel's strongest 4-year earnings at $69,280, though small graduate count and missing debt data limit the read. Accounting is portable and CPA-track-friendly.
Psychology
Psychology (15 graduates) has $26,303 first-year earnings against $27,000 median debt, which yields a 1.026 ratio - debt exceeds annual income - and an F grade. Four-year earnings of $43,457 partially redeem the picture but graduate study is essentially required for the math to eventually work in the field.
Special Education and Teaching
Special Education and Teaching (13 graduates) earns no reported ROI grade due to missing debt data.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice (8 graduates) earns a D grade with $33,652 first-year and $43,186 four-year earnings against $27,000 median debt (0.802 ratio). PA criminal justice salaries are modest, and four-year earnings don't climb meaningfully. Public-sector criminal justice careers can be viable, but the borrowing level here is heavy relative to the field's earnings ceiling.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 73.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 68.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 69.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Thiel 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 | 71.5% |
| Enrollment | 788 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 40.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,413 |
Thiel admits 71.6% of applicants - moderately accessible. SAT and ACT score ranges are not reported, suggesting test-optional or test-blind operation. The 71.6% admit rate paired with a 48.7% completion rate is the typical small-private pattern: the school admits widely and graduates roughly half its entering class. Selectivity is a soft signal here; prospective students should weigh financial fit and program-specific outcomes more heavily than admit-rate signals.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thiel College (this school) | 33 | $22,347 | $49,714 |
| Albright College | 56 | $20,024 | $58,700 |
| Rocky Mountain College | 35 | $19,751 | $49,036 |
| Bryn Athyn College of the New Church | 34 | $20,586 | $40,457 |
| Lake Erie College | 32 | $20,961 | $50,417 |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College | 31 | $17,131 | $46,747 |
Who Thrives Here
Thiel's 788 enrollment, 40.8% Pell rate, and Lutheran heritage define a small rural Pennsylvania private serving a heavily local, working-class western PA student body. Best fit: students drawn to NCAA Division III athletics, the Lutheran community, and small classes, who plan to enter business, accounting, or teaching pipelines in the western PA / eastern Ohio region. The 48.7% completion rate is concerning and prospective students should ask hard questions about retention support.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Thiel College scores 33/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,347 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $49,714 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.6 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 48.7% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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.
Thiel College: Common Questions
Is Thiel College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Thiel College scores 33/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,347 a year after aid against $49,714 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Thiel 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 $22,347 a year, or roughly $89,388 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 Thiel College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $49,714 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,914 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 Thiel 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 about 15.6 years for Thiel College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Thiel College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $34,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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 Thiel College?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.7%. 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.