Welch College
Gallatin, Tennessee · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 23/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Welch College scores 23 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale - a small Free Will Baptist institution in Gallatin, TN with 226 enrolled students. The score reflects a 33.5-year payback period, a 0.744 debt-to-earnings ratio, a 53.4% completion rate, and average 6-year earnings of just $26,200. The 33.5-year payback period is long: at that trajectory, borrowers are repaying debt for over three decades, assuming they ever close the gap between what they earned and what they borrowed. The repayment rate compounds this concern - only 44.2% of borrowers were making progress on their debt at one year, with volatility through year seven. Net price of $25,263 is higher than sticker tuition of $21,400, which indicates that the Scorecard is capturing all cost-of-attendance components and that aid does not offset the total bill. The Scorecard does not report program-level data for Welch - there are no individual major outcomes to examine. Admission rate is also not reported. Welch's institutional profile is that of a Bible college-adjacent institution serving a very specific denominational applicant pool, and the financial data reflects the earnings limitations of that mission's typical career paths: ministry, education, and related service fields.
How Welch 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 Score23/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period33.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Welch College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,400/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,400/yr |
| Average net price | $25,263/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $101,052 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $42,198 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $19,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $207 |
| Estimated payback period | 33.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 53.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 226 |
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: $21,400/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 $25,263/year, or roughly $101,052 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 $25,590/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,512/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $19,500, which works out to about $207 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,200) and comes to 0.74, 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 | $25,590 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,289 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,219 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,783 |
| $110,001+ | $27,512 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The 0-30000 income bracket pays $25,590 per year at Welch - a figure higher than the sticker tuition of $21,400, indicating that room, board, and fees push the all-in cost well above tuition alone, and that institutional aid is not sufficient to reduce the net price for the lowest-income students. This is a concerning finding: low-income students at Welch are paying more in net price than students in some income brackets above them. The 30001-48000 bracket pays $18,289, substantially less. Low-income families should carefully compare total costs before enrolling.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 48001-75000 bracket pays $23,219 per year, higher than the $18,289 paid by the bracket below it - the aid schedule at Welch is not monotonically decreasing with income, which creates anomalous results for middle-income families. The 75001-110000 bracket pays $26,783. At $26,200 in average 6-year earnings, no income bracket faces a favorable payback period at these net prices. The 33.5-year payback period is calculated at the institutional median level and implies that even at the lowest net price point, recovery of education costs relative to earnings premium takes decades.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $27,512 per year at Welch, totaling roughly $110,000 over four years. At $26,200 average 6-year earnings, full-pay attendance at Welch produces a deeply unfavorable financial outcome. Families in this income bracket who are considering Welch for a student's ministry or religious calling should treat the decision as a charitable investment in vocational training, not as a conventional ROI calculation - because, the numbers do not close.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
No program-level data available
The Scorecard does not report program-level earnings, debt, or graduate counts for Welch College. No individual major outcomes can be assessed. The institutional-level data - $26,200 average 6-year earnings, $19,500 median debt, 33.5-year payback - reflects the full graduate population across all programs, which likely skews heavily toward ministry, Biblical studies, and education. Students planning careers in these fields should not expect high earnings relative to debt, and should enter with realistic expectations about the long-term financial trajectory that comes with this combination of cost and typical career paths.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 44.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 69.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 52.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 62.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Welch 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 | 226 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,449 |
The Scorecard does not report admission rate or standardized test score ranges for Welch College. Given the institution's size (226 enrolled) and denominational affiliation, admission is likely open or near-open for applicants who align with the Free Will Baptist mission. Prospective students should contact the institution directly for admissions requirements and expectations. The completion rate of 53.4% is the more relevant benchmark than selectivity - understanding what supports students through to graduation matters more here than entry credentials.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welch College (this school) | 23 | $25,263 | $42,198 |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | 69 | $11,212 | $72,529 |
| American Baptist College | 32 | $9,216 | $41,216 |
| Cottey College | 22 | $13,805 | $35,422 |
| Northland College | 21 | $36,119 | $44,560 |
| Dallas Christian College | 18 | $22,960 | $43,503 |
Who Thrives Here
Welch enrolls 226 students and serves a primarily Free Will Baptist constituency. The Pell grant rate of 28.2% indicates a moderate-income student body. Neither admission rate nor standardized test score ranges are reported by the Scorecard for this institution. The 53.4% completion rate means roughly half of enrolled students do not graduate. Prospective students who are considering Welch primarily for its theological and ministry training should understand clearly that the financial data - $26,200 average earnings 6 years after enrollment, a 33.5-year payback - reflects a population largely not pursuing high-earnings careers. The decision to attend is a mission and vocation decision more than a financial one, and should be evaluated on those terms.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Welch College scores 23/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $25,263 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $42,198 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 33.5 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 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 69.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $19,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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.
Welch College: Common Questions
Is Welch College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Welch College scores 23/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $25,263 a year after aid against $42,198 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 33.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Welch 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 $25,263 a year, or roughly $101,052 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 Welch College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $42,198 ten years after enrolling, roughly $398 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 Welch 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 about 33.5 years for Welch College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Welch College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $19,500, against average earnings of $26,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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 Welch College?
The six-year graduation rate is 53.4%. 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.