Wade College
Dallas, Texas · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 16/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Wade College earns the Below Benchmark tier with an ROI score of 16 out of 100. The Dallas, Texas for-profit specialty college focuses on fashion merchandising and visual communications. Sticker tuition is $17,692, with a net price of $20,778 (a flag: net price exceeds tuition because room, board, and required fees push total costs above the headline number for institutions with limited institutional aid). Four-year cost-of-attendance lands at $83,112. The headline failure metric is a 134.6-year payback period: average 6-year earnings of just $29,400 against the school's cost structure produce a payback that exceeds any reasonable working life. Median 10-year earnings climb only to $36,657. Median debt of $22,938 produces a 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio. The three-year repayment rate is 25.9%. The 54.2% completion rate is the only relative bright spot. With one F-grade program reported and a fashion-merchandising specialty competing in a labor market dominated by experience-based hiring, the financial case for Wade is essentially absent.
How Wade 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 Score16/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 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.
Wade College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $17,692/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $17,692/yr |
| Average net price | $20,778/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $83,112 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $36,657 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $22,938 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $243 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 54.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 252 |
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: $17,692/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $20,778/year, or roughly $83,112 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 $17,341/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,506/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $22,938, which works out to about $243 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,400) and comes to 0.78, 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 | $17,341 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $19,771 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,506 |
| $110,001+ | $25,506 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30K pay $17,341 net annually, with $30,001-48,000 households paying $19,771. Four-year cost of $69K-$79K against $29,400 expected early-career earnings is structurally unworkable.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-75,000 bracket is not reported. The $75,001-110,000 bracket pays $25,506 net annually, identical to the $110,001-plus bracket: that flat upper-bracket pricing suggests Wade caps institutional aid at moderate-income levels and offers no further help to higher-income families.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay the same $25,506 as the $75-110K bracket. Four-year cost of $102K is essentially the headline number with no institutional discount. At that price for a 6-year average income of $29,400, the financial case is absent regardless of family income.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Wade College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $45,386 | 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.
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
General Sales and Merchandising is Wade's only reported program with 6 graduates per year. First-year median earnings of $35,406 against $47,248 median debt produces a 1.334 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. Year-four earnings of $45,386 show modest improvement but never recover the gap.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 25.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 25.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 26.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 33.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Wade 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
| Enrollment | 252 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 65.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,500 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT and ACT scores are also not reported. The 54.2% completion rate combined with this admissions profile reflects a small specialty institution where students who commit to the curriculum often complete, but the financial outcome remains poor regardless.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wade College (this school) | 16 | $20,778 | $36,657 |
| Chamberlain University-Texas | 73 | $32,209 | $92,405 |
| Los Angeles College of Music | 19 | $43,590 | $31,758 |
| South University-Richmond | 11 | $30,442 | $34,421 |
| South University-West Palm Beach | 8 | $20,271 | $34,421 |
| American InterContinental University-Houston | 6 | $20,249 | $36,144 |
Who Thrives Here
Wade College fits Dallas-area students with strong interests in fashion merchandising, visual communications, or related creative business fields. With just 252 enrolled and a striking 65.5% Pell rate, the institution serves a heavily working-class student body.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Wade College scores 16/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,778 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $36,657 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 25.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $22,938 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78. 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.
Wade College: Common Questions
Is Wade College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Wade College scores 16/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,778 a year after aid against $36,657 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 Wade 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 $20,778 a year, or roughly $83,112 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 Wade College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $36,657 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 Wade 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 Wade College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Wade College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $22,938, against average earnings of $29,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78. 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 Wade College?
The six-year graduation rate is 54.2%. 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.