Villa Maria College
Buffalo, New York · Private Nonprofit · 86.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 15/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Villa Maria College scores 15 (Below Benchmark). The 31.5% completion rate means fewer than 1 in 3 students finishes a degree within 6 years. Average 6-year earnings of $25,400 are low, and the payback period of 50.3 years is effectively prohibitive: at median earnings, most graduates will not recoup the cost of attendance within a normal working career. Net price of $13,494 masks a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.837 and monthly debt payments that consume a disproportionate share of a $25,400 annual income. Villa Maria is a small (603 students) Catholic art and design college in Buffalo with high Pell grant participation (64.8%), serving a predominantly working-class student body that can least afford poor financial outcomes.
How Villa Maria 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 Score15/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate31.4% - 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 period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Villa Maria College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $28,670/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $28,670/yr |
| Average net price | $13,494/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $53,976 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,857 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $25,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $225 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 31.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 603 |
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: $28,670/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $13,494/year, or roughly $53,976 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 $13,049/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,069/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $21,250, which works out to about $225 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($25,400) and comes to 0.84, 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 | $13,049 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,265 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,274 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $12,775 |
| $110,001+ | $25,069 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The lowest income bracket (0-$30,000) pays $13,049 per year at Villa Maria. But the 31.5% completion rate means most low-income students who enroll will accumulate debt without finishing - a worst-case outcome for this population. Median debt of $21,250 against $25,400 average 6-year earnings is financially precarious.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families in the $48,001-75,000 range pay $12,274 per year - slightly less than the lowest bracket, an unusual inversion suggesting the aid formula. The $75,001-110,000 bracket pays $12,775. The low net price is not a sufficient justification when the payback period is 50.3 years.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $25,069 per year. A high-income family choosing Villa Maria is doing so for the arts mission and community, not financial return.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Villa Maria College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts | $48,379 | - |
| Graphic Communications | $35,482 | - |
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.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts is Villa Maria's primary program track with 17 graduates and $48,379 four-year earnings. No year-one, debt, or ROI grade data is available, limiting analysis. The $48k four-year figure is modest for a design credential but plausible for Buffalo-area graphic design and visual communication roles. The limited data here prevents a full ROI assessment.
Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications graduates 9 students with $35,482 four-year earnings. No additional outcome data is available. The small graduate count and sparse data make program-level conclusions unreliable, but $35k at four years reflects entry-level to early-career graphic communications roles in a regional market like Buffalo.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 67.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 47.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 50.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Villa Maria 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 | 86.6% |
| Enrollment | 603 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 64.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,508 |
At 86.6% acceptance with no published test data, Villa Maria admits nearly everyone who applies. The school's challenge is not selectivity but persistence: only 31.5% of students earn a degree within 6 years. Students who enroll should plan explicitly for academic and financial support to maximize completion odds.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Villa Maria's ROI score is 15. Its completion rate is 31.5% and its payback period is 50.3 years. This is not a school families should choose based on financial outcomes; its value, if any, must come from mission alignment and non-financial factors.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Maria College (this school) | 15 | $13,494 | $38,857 |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 94 | $29,882 | $131,426 |
| Adelphi University | 75 | $30,783 | $75,482 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
| Ferrum College | 17 | $20,082 | $44,296 |
| St. Andrews University | 16 | $32,513 | $45,606 |
Who Thrives Here
Villa Maria admits 86.6% of applicants with no reported standardized test scores. It enrolls 603 students. With 64.8% Pell recipients, it serves a predominantly low-income population. The school's mission centers on art, design, and music education. Students choose Villa Maria primarily for its arts focus and Catholic identity, not for financial outcomes. Prospective students should understand plainly that the Scorecard data shows a very high risk of non-completion and poor earnings for those who do graduate.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Villa Maria College scores 15/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,494 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,857 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 31.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 67.7% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $21,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $25,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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.
Villa Maria College: Common Questions
Is Villa Maria College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Villa Maria College scores 15/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,494 a year after aid against $38,857 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Villa Maria 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 $13,494 a year, or roughly $53,976 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 Villa Maria College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,857 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Villa Maria 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 more than 50 years for Villa Maria College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Villa Maria College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $21,250, against average earnings of $25,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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 Villa Maria College?
The six-year graduation rate is 31.4%. 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.