Wesleyan College
Macon, Georgia · Private Nonprofit · 59.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 24/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Wesleyan College scores 24 (Below Benchmark) - a serious warning signal on nearly every CampusROI dimension. Average 6-year earnings are $27,800, the payback period is 20.5 years, the completion rate is 44.5%, and the repayment rate of 48.4% at five years means fewer than half of borrowers are reducing principal. Median debt of $24,094 with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.867 is difficult. The college is tiny (400 students), a women's college in Macon, Georgia, with a 59.1% admission rate and SAT mid-ranges of 450-543 Math and 518-573 Reading. Only two programs have Scorecard data: Registered Nursing (24 graduates, C+ grade) and Business Administration (27 graduates, four-year earnings $58,887 only). Net price of $12,724 is relatively low given the private college context, reflecting heavy discount rates. The Pell grant rate of 45.8% is high, indicating that a large share of students are from lower-income families - who are also most exposed to the consequences of poor completion and earnings outcomes. The data is stark: the low repayment rate combined with the low completion rate suggests a significant portion of students leave with debt and without the credential that would improve their earnings.
How Wesleyan 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 Score24/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period20.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Wesleyan College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,650/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,650/yr |
| Average net price | $12,724/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $50,896 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,317 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $27,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,094 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $255 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 44.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 400 |
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: $27,650/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $12,724/year, or roughly $50,896 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 $11,045/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,726/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,094, which works out to about $255 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($27,800) and comes to 0.87, 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 | $11,045 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,317 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,943 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $9,287 |
| $110,001+ | $22,726 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,045 net price per year at Wesleyan, and the $30,001-48,000 bracket pays $13,317. These are affordable price points. However, the 44.5% completion rate and 48.4% five-year repayment rate mean that a significant fraction of low-income students leave with debt and without the degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $75,001-110,000 bracket actually pays $9,287 - the lowest net price in the schedule, reflecting the aid formula's unusual inversion. Middle-income families at $75,000-110,000 could find this remarkably affordable, but the completion and earnings data still applies. A degree that takes 20.5 years to pay back represents a long-term financial drag even at low nominal cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110,000 pay $22,726 per year. At that price for a school with a 44.5% completion rate and $27,800 average earnings, the financial case is weak for most majors.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Wesleyan College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $58,887 | - |
| Registered Nursing | $67,603 | C+ |
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.
Registered Nursing
Registered Nursing (24 graduates) earns $70,482 year-one and $67,603 at year four - the four-year figure is lower than year-one, likely reflecting cohort mix. Debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.542 (ROI grade C+) with median debt of $38,170. The C+ grade reflects the elevated debt load. Nursing remains the strongest earnings pathway at Wesleyan.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration (27 graduates) reports $58,887 at year four (year-one earnings not reported by Scorecard). Debt data is also not reported. With limited data, a full ROI assessment is not possible. Students should request cost-of-attendance and typical debt figures directly from the institution.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 46.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 48.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 55.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 56.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Wesleyan 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 | 59.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 450-543 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 518-573 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 20-24 |
| Enrollment | 400 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 45.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,243 |
Wesleyan admits 59.1% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 450-543 Math and 518-573 Reading and ACT 20-24. These ranges describe a college-ready but not highly selective pool. The relevant constraint is not admission but the financial profile: a 44.5% completion rate and 20.5-year payback period mean the decision to enroll carries significant financial risk regardless of academic preparation.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
The fundamental challenge is the combination of small scale, low completion, and limited program variety that constrains what the Scorecard can show.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesleyan College (this school) | 24 | $12,724 | $44,317 |
| Salem College | 26 | $18,277 | $44,640 |
| Columbia College | 25 | $22,715 | $45,378 |
| Mary Baldwin University | 25 | $12,756 | $44,427 |
| Midway University | 24 | $29,579 | $44,246 |
| Hollins University | 21 | $20,896 | $40,075 |
Who Thrives Here
Wesleyan College is a small women's liberal arts college with 400 students and a 59.1% admission rate. SAT mid-ranges of 450-543 Math and 518-573 Reading, ACT 20-24. The 45.8% Pell rate reflects substantial lower-income enrollment. The institution's mission and campus culture - women's college in the Southeast - are real draws that the Scorecard data does not capture. However, students considering Wesleyan should do so with full awareness that fewer than half of students complete and that the repayment data shows widespread borrower difficulty.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Wesleyan College scores 24/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $12,724 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,317 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.5 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, its 44.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 48.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,094 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $27,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87. 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.
Wesleyan College: Common Questions
Is Wesleyan College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Wesleyan College scores 24/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $12,724 a year after aid against $44,317 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Wesleyan 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 $12,724 a year, or roughly $50,896 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 Wesleyan College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,317 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,517 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 Wesleyan 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 20.5 years for Wesleyan College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Wesleyan College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,094, against average earnings of $27,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87. 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 Wesleyan College?
The six-year graduation rate is 44.5%. 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.