Truett McConnell University
Cleveland, Georgia · Private Nonprofit · 78.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Truett McConnell University scores 23 (Below Benchmark), with concerning fundamentals across nearly every sub-score: a 13.2% earnings premium, a 19.6-year payback period, a 0.905 debt-to-earnings ratio (debt is 90% of annual earnings), a 37.8% completion rate, and a 72.0% three-year repayment rate. Sticker tuition is $26,792, net price $22,227, and median student debt is $23,439. Average earnings 6 years out are $25,900 - genuinely thin - climbing to a median $46,700 at 10 years. Truett McConnell is a small (744 students) Southern Baptist Convention liberal arts university in Cleveland, Georgia. The Pell rate is unusually low at 10.2%, suggesting a heavily faith-affiliated, middle-and-upper-middle-income student body where families pay close to net price. The institutional ROI score reflects the structural challenge of a faith-mission small private without high-earning anchor programs: nursing earns a B grade, but business and psychology produce outcomes where debt approaches or exceeds annual earnings. The school's value case rests almost entirely on mission alignment rather than financial return.
How Truett McConnell 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 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 rate37.8% - 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 period19.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Truett McConnell University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $26,792/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,792/yr |
| Average net price | $22,227/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $88,908 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,700 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $25,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,439 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $248 |
| Estimated payback period | 19.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 37.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 744 |
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: $26,792/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,227/year, or roughly $88,908 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 $21,274/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,560/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,439, which works out to about $248 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($25,900) and comes to 0.91, 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 | $21,274 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,953 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,984 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,134 |
| $110,001+ | $24,560 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $21,274 net annually - barely below the average net price. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays less ($18,953), an inverted pattern likely reflecting state TEG (tuition equalization grant) and federal aid stacking. Over four years that's $85K against $46,700 median 10-year earnings - tough math even with mission fit driving the choice.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $20,984 - below sticker but not by much. Over four years that's $84K. The very low Pell rate at this institution suggests this bracket is the modal Truett family; it's also where the value math feels tightest.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Top-bracket families ($110,001+) pay $24,560 - close to the published sticker. Mission fit is the only defensible reason to pay this premium.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Truett McConnell University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management | $49,403 | C |
| Psychology | $33,517 | F |
| Registered Nursing | $69,133 | B |
| Teacher Education | $37,831 | C |
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 and Management
Business Administration and Management (57 graduates) is Truett's largest program. Median earnings of $35,300 first-year and $49,403 four-year against $22,250 median debt produce a 0.630 ratio (C grade). A defensible mission-aligned choice but not a strong financial case at sticker.
Psychology
Psychology (24 graduates) has $25,461 first-year earnings against $26,496 median debt, which yields a 1.041 ratio - debt exceeds annual income - and an F grade. Four-year earnings of $33,517 are remarkably low, suggesting many graduates enter ministry-adjacent or counseling-aide roles rather than mainstream psychology pipelines. Graduate study (counseling, ministry) is essentially required for the math to eventually work.
Registered Nursing
Nursing (14 graduates) is the school's clear financial bright spot: $66,551 first-year and $69,133 four-year earnings against $27,000 median debt produce a 0.406 ratio (B grade). For students who can complete the BSN credential, this is the program that makes the Truett investment financially defensible. Northeast Georgia's healthcare labor market supports strong placement.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education (12 graduates) earns a C grade with $37,831 first-year earnings and $24,000 median debt (0.634 ratio). Georgia teacher salaries are modest, and four-year earnings aren't reported. Mission alignment justifies the choice for committed students entering Christian or rural-Georgia school settings; the financial case is structurally tight even with the moderate debt level.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 63.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 72.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 56.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 57.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Truett McConnell 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 | 78.3% |
| Enrollment | 744 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 10.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,901 |
Truett McConnell admits 78.3% of applicants - openly accessible. SAT and ACT score ranges are not reported, suggesting test-optional or test-blind operation. The 78.3% admit rate paired with a 37.8% completion rate is a classic open-admission small-private pattern: the school admits widely and finishes a minority. Selectivity is not a meaningful filter; mission and faith fit are the actual screens here.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truett McConnell University (this school) | 23 | $22,227 | $46,700 |
| Campbellsville University | 25 | $19,341 | $41,583 |
| North Greenville University | 25 | $21,063 | $43,035 |
| Charleston Southern University | 24 | $21,666 | $45,898 |
| Columbia International University | 21 | $26,036 | $38,951 |
| Davis & Elkins College | 21 | $18,273 | $43,411 |
Who Thrives Here
Truett McConnell's 744 enrollment, 10.2% Pell rate, and Southern Baptist identity define a tightly self-selected student body. The very low Pell rate plus 37.8% completion is unusual - it suggests families with means choose to enroll for mission reasons but a substantial fraction of students still leave before graduation.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Truett McConnell University scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,227 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,700 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 19.6 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 37.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,439 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $25,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. 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.
Truett McConnell University: Common Questions
Is Truett McConnell University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Truett McConnell University scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,227 a year after aid against $46,700 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 19.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Truett McConnell 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 $22,227 a year, or roughly $88,908 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 Truett McConnell University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,700 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,900 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 Truett McConnell 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 19.6 years for Truett McConnell University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Truett McConnell University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,439, against average earnings of $25,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. 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 Truett McConnell University?
The six-year graduation rate is 37.8%. 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.