Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 71.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 13/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Warren Wilson College, a small experiential liberal arts college outside Asheville, North Carolina, scores 13 out of 100 (Below Benchmark) on CampusROI. The school's distinctive work-college and environmental-stewardship model produces strong non-financial outcomes but very weak earnings figures: average earnings six years out are only $21,400 and climb modestly to a median $36,260 by year ten. Sticker tuition is $41,500 with an average net price of $21,249, putting four-year total cost at about $84,996. Median federal debt is $25,000, but against $21,400 in early-career earnings the debt-to-earnings ratio is 1.168, the worst sub-score on the profile. The modeled payback period is 178.6 years, the algorithm's way of saying earnings essentially never recoup cost. Completion sits at 42% and repayment progress is reasonable at 74-80% across timepoints, which suggests borrowers are staying current but mostly on income-driven plans. The school attracts students who value experiential learning and sustainability over wage maximization, and the financial profile reflects that mission tradeoff explicitly.
How Warren Wilson 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 Score13/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.17 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 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.
Warren Wilson College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $41,500/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $41,500/yr |
| Average net price | $21,249/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $84,996 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $36,260 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $21,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 42.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 707 |
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: $41,500/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,249/year, or roughly $84,996 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 $13,566/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,982/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,000, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($21,400) and comes to 1.17, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $13,566 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,514 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,046 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,834 |
| $110,001+ | $27,982 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face a net price of $13,566 per year. Four years totals about $54,300 against $36,260 in ten-year median earnings, a difficult ratio.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets escalate cleanly: $17,514 ($30,001-$48,000), $21,046 ($48,001-$75,000), and $25,834 ($75,001-$110,000). The brackets are well-behaved and consistent with genuine need-based discounting. The challenge is that even at the discounted price, the earnings outcomes do not service the debt comfortably for graduates who stay in mission-aligned careers.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $27,982 a year, or roughly $112,000 over four years. Ten-year median earnings at Warren Wilson are $36,260.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Warren Wilson College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation | $43,793 | - |
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.
Natural Resources Conservation
Natural Resources Conservation is the only reported program at the documented level, graduating 13 students per year with $43,793 in four-year earnings; first-year earnings and debt figures are not reported. The four-year earnings figure is higher than the institutional median, suggesting this signature program is one of the relatively stronger pathways at Warren Wilson. Career placement runs through US Forest Service, state DNR agencies, land trusts, and environmental nonprofits, where mission alignment with the college's identity is strong.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 72.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 75.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 79.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Warren Wilson 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 | 71.3% |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 25-29 |
| Enrollment | 707 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,280 |
Warren Wilson admits 71.3% of applicants and reports ACT Composite mid-range of 25-29; SAT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data. The 71% admit rate paired with 42% six-year completion suggests the school admits academically prepared students who do not always finish, often because the experiential model and rural setting are not a long-term fit.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Wilson College (this school) | 13 | $21,249 | $36,260 |
| Barton College | 24 | $23,626 | $47,913 |
| Belmont Abbey College | 24 | $24,639 | $47,937 |
| Emmanuel University | 12 | $20,925 | $38,208 |
| Philander Smith University | 10 | $14,224 | $38,427 |
| Wiley University | 5 | $7,092 | $33,159 |
Who Thrives Here
With 707 students and a Pell Grant rate of 39.6%, Warren Wilson is a small, residential, mission-aligned college in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The right fit is a student who genuinely values experiential and environmental education, is committed to the work-college labor requirement, and is comfortable with the reality that the credential is unlikely to drive wage maximization. Many graduates pursue nonprofit, conservation, and creative careers where the earnings ceiling is structurally low.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Warren Wilson College scores 13/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,249 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $36,260 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 42.0% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $21,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Warren Wilson College: Common Questions
Is Warren Wilson College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Warren Wilson College scores 13/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,249 a year after aid against $36,260 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 Warren Wilson 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 $21,249 a year, or roughly $84,996 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 Warren Wilson College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $36,260 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 Warren Wilson 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 Warren Wilson College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Warren Wilson College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,000, against average earnings of $21,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.17. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Warren Wilson College?
The six-year graduation rate is 42.0%. 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.