Westminster College
Fulton, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 79.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 41/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri lands in the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 41 out of 100. Sticker tuition is $35,214 and the average net price runs $24,314 per year - roughly $97,256 over four years. Average earnings six years out are $37,100, rising to a median $52,199 at the ten-year mark, producing an earnings premium of 17.7% and a 13.8-year payback period. Median debt of $27,000 against early-career earnings near $37,000 generates a 0.728 debt-to-earnings ratio, the weakest sub-score on the report. The core problem is structural: net price runs near $24,000 for most income bands while graduate earnings land below the level needed to make that price pay back inside a decade. Strong students should look hard at the merit aid offer and whether their intended major (especially Business or Kinesiology) lifts them well above the school median.
How Westminster 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 Score41/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Westminster College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,214/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,214/yr |
| Average net price | $24,314/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $97,256 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $52,199 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $37,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 13.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 55.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 638 |
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: $35,214/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,314/year, or roughly $97,256 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 $24,543/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $26,066/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($37,100) and comes to 0.73, 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 | $24,543 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,050 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $22,123 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,957 |
| $110,001+ | $26,066 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 face a net price of $24,543 - essentially identical to sticker for the lowest-income bracket. This is an inverted aid pattern: the $30,001-48,000 bracket pays $17,050, nearly $7,500 less than the bottom bracket. That likely reflects a small-sample artifact in Scorecard data, but it is worth flagging when running the family's own net-price calculator. Either way, the cost is $98,000+ over four years against $37,100 in early earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-75,000 bracket pays $22,123 and $75,001-110,000 pays $24,957. Aid tapers steadily across these bands. Total four-year out-of-pocket runs $88,000-100,000, against $52,199 in ten-year earnings. The math only works if the student is a strong merit-aid candidate, finishes on time, and lands in Business or Kinesiology.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $26,066 per year, about $104,000 over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Westminster College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $70,100 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $60,077 | B |
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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Twenty-two graduates with one-year earnings of $37,667 and a strong $70,100 four-year median - the highest of any reported program. Median debt is $24,500, producing a 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C ROI grade. The four-year earnings curve is notably steeper than the school average, which suggests business graduates are landing meaningful promotions or moving into roles that pay well above the regional Missouri median. This is Westminster's best documented ROI play for students who plan to head into management or sales careers.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Sixteen graduates with four-year earnings of $60,077 - a solid number that likely reflects a mix of graduates who continue to PT, OT, or chiropractic programs (lifting earnings) and those who enter teaching/coaching. Median debt is $26,170 against that $60,077, giving a 0.436 debt-to-earnings ratio and a B grade - the best on the program list. Worth noting that one-year earnings are not reported, suggesting many graduates are still in graduate programs at the one-year mark.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 77.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 80.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 71.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 78.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Westminster 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 | 79.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 510-620 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 480-630 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 19-24 |
| Enrollment | 638 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 38.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,642 |
SAT mid-ranges are 510-620 math and 480-630 reading; ACT composite mid-range is 19-24. Those bands include genuinely under-prepared students, which is consistent with the 55.5% six-year completion rate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster College (this school) | 41 | $24,314 | $52,199 |
| Northwest Nazarene University | 41 | $29,580 | $51,719 |
| Southwestern Adventist University | 41 | $22,778 | $52,946 |
| Eastern Nazarene College | 40 | $25,381 | $54,727 |
| Clear Creek Baptist Bible College | 31 | $10,949 | $41,623 |
| Hobe Sound Bible College | 30 | $12,074 | $39,863 |
Who Thrives Here
Very small school - enrollment is just 638 - in a rural Missouri town. This fits students who want a tight cohort, athletic participation (Westminster is a strong NAIA athletics school), or the historic Churchill/Cold War-era institutional brand. Strongest measurable outcomes show up in Business Administration ($70,100 four-year median earnings) and Kinesiology ($60,077). Students drawn to either of those programs should run the merit-aid math carefully.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Westminster College scores 41/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,314 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $52,199 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 13.8 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 0.73 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $37,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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.
Westminster College: Common Questions
Is Westminster College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Westminster College scores 41/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,314 a year after aid against $52,199 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 13.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Westminster 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 $24,314 a year, or roughly $97,256 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 Westminster College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $52,199 ten years after enrolling, roughly $10,399 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 Westminster 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 13.8 years for Westminster College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Westminster College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $37,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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 Westminster College?
The six-year graduation rate is 55.5%. 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.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
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.