39

Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel

Monroe, New York · Private Nonprofit

ROI Score: 39/100 · Poor Value

Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel is a Hasidic religious institution serving the Satmar community in Monroe, NY, and the conventional ROI framework applied to this school produces deeply unusual numbers that need careful context. The overall ROI score is 39 (Poor Value, red tier), but the institution is not operating as a labor-market credentialing engine. Tuition is $16,000 with a net price of just $4,156, and four-year total cost is roughly $16,624 - extraordinarily low for a private nonprofit. There is no median federal debt reported, which yields a perfect debt-to-earnings score of 100. However, the earnings story is severe: median earnings are $23,600 six years after enrollment and only $31,853 at ten years, both well below the wages a typical high-school graduate earns nationally. The earnings premium is actually negative (-0.189), meaning graduates earn less than non-college peers. The Scorecard payback period of 999 years is the algorithm's way of saying the cost is never recouped through wage premiums. Completion rate is reasonable at 70.2%. The honest assessment: this is a religious-studies school whose mission is theological formation within a closed community, and traditional ROI metrics simply do not capture its purpose.

Payback Period
>50 yr
Years until earnings premium covers total investment
Net Price / Year
$4,156
$16,624 over 4 years after aid
10-Year Earnings
$31,853
Median graduate 10 years after entry
Debt / Earnings
N/A
N/A median debt vs first-year salary

Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel

39
ROI ScorePoor Value
Earnings Premium
2(-0.19x)
Payback Period
7(>50 yr)
Debt / Earnings
100(0.00)
Completion Rate
79(70%)
Repayment Rate
50(N/A)(est.)

Quick Numbers

In-state tuition + fees$16,000/yr
Out-of-state tuition + fees$16,000/yr
Average net price$4,156/yr
Total 4-year cost (net)$16,624
Median earnings (10yr post-entry)$31,853
Median earnings (6yr post-entry)$23,600
Median debt at graduationN/A
Estimated monthly loan payment$0
Estimated payback period>50 years
6-year graduation rate70.2%
Undergraduate enrollment2,957

Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).

The Full Financial Picture

The sticker price at Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel is $16,000/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $4,156/year, or roughly $16,624 over four years.

That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $3,915/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay $4,482/year. The school provides substantial aid to low-income students, making it significantly more affordable than the sticker price suggests.

The median graduate leaves with N/A in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $0 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $31,853 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.00 - well within manageable territory.

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.

Family IncomeAvg Net Price/Year
$0 - $30,000$3,915
$30,001 - $48,000$3,898
$48,001 - $75,000$4,617
$75,001 - $110,000$6,690
$110,001+$4,482

Cost by Income Bracket Explained

Lower-income families (under $30K)

Families earning under $30,000 pay $3,915 per year and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $3,898 - essentially the same. The very low net price reflects heavy institutional and federal grant support and means the cost burden on the lowest-income families is minimal. The financial math is the most defensible part of the picture: families are not taking on significant debt to attend.

Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)

Middle-income brackets pay $4,617 to $6,690 per year. Note an inversion: the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays more ($6,690) than the highest bracket reported here ($4,482), an unusual aid pattern likely reflecting small sample sizes within each bracket rather than systematic policy. Even the highest figure is well below typical private-college net prices.

Higher-income families ($110K+)

Households over $110,000 pay $4,482, which is lower than what middle-income families pay - again, the inverted bracket pattern. At this price point the financial outlay is trivial relative to most private institutions. The decision for any income level here is not financial; it is whether the institution's religious mission matches the family's goals.

Earnings by Major

Top 1 most popular majors at Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel with available earnings data.

MajorMedian EarningsGrade
Religion/Religious Studies$29,579-

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.

Religion/Religious Studies

Religious studies is the institution's only reported program and accounts for all 403 graduates. Median earnings are $22,543 one year out and $29,579 four years out, both below national high-school-only wage benchmarks. No median debt is reported, suggesting graduates do not borrow federally. There is no roiGrade because the framework cannot meaningfully grade an institution whose graduates do not enter mainstream wage labor. Career paths are religious leadership, community education, and family-business roles within the Satmar community.

How Graduates Do

Earnings

6 years after entry$23,600
-$11,400 vs. HS grad
10 years after entry$31,853
-$3,147 vs. HS grad
Annual earnings premium-$3,147
Over median HS graduate ($35,000)

Loan Repayment

MetricThis SchoolNat'l Avg
1-year repaymentN/A52.0%
3-year repaymentN/A62.0%
5-year repaymentN/A68.0%
7-year repaymentN/A72.0%

Completion Rate

0%National avg: 60.0%100%
70.2%
6-year rate

Admissions Snapshot

Enrollment2,957
Pell Grant recipients87.4%
Avg faculty salary (monthly)$3,617

Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. The institution serves a specific Hasidic community and admissions are functionally tied to community membership rather than competitive selection. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are also not reported, and prospective external students should not approach this institution as a conventional college option. The 70.2% completion rate suggests strong student-institution alignment among those who enroll.

Compared to Similar Schools

Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.

The Scorecard's algorithmic peer set - Adelphi University, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Southern Adventist University, and Loyola University New Orleans - is not meaningful here because none of those institutions share UTA Mesivta's mission, community structure, or educational model. Adelphi and Albany Pharmacy are mainstream regional privates; Palm Beach Atlantic and Southern Adventist are Christian institutions; Loyola is a comprehensive Catholic university. All five post dramatically higher graduate earnings and operate on entirely different ROI calculus. Treating UTA Mesivta as comparable to any of them on financial grounds misreads the data.

SchoolROINet Price10yr Earnings
Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel (this school)
39
$4,156$31,853
Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College
39
$10,880$41,785
United Talmudical Seminary
36
$6,640$25,113
Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah
35
$10,755$39,230
Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary
33
$3,822$36,442
Talmudical Seminary of Bobov
30
$2,840$22,432

Who Thrives Here

This institution fits members of the Satmar Hasidic community pursuing religious study within their tradition. Pell rate is 87.4%, the highest end of the spectrum, and enrollment is 2,957. The financial-aid profile reflects very low household incomes among enrolled students. Career outcomes track community-internal roles (teaching, religious leadership, community service) rather than the wage-labor markets the Scorecard measures. Outside students should not consider this institution; community members should weigh it on theological and family criteria rather than on ROI metrics.

The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up

Poor Value

The financial data raises serious concerns about Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel. With a net cost of $4,156 per year and median graduate earnings of only $31,853 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost.

Key strengths include a 70.2% graduation rate, manageable debt relative to earnings. However, the data also shows weak earnings relative to cost and a long payback period.

Rankings & Links

Guides & Tools

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.