Anderson University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 940, or ACT below 16 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

M3: Master's - Smaller Programs

Total enrollment

1,057

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$37,240

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$37,240

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

53.4%

Moderately selective

SAT middle 50%

940–1170

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

16–23

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$48,899

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$44,396

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$48,899

4-year completion

54%

Median debt (completers)

$27,000

Cost of attendance

$51,585

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

36%

💰 True ROI

4.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$100,084

$25,021/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$106,256

vs sticker $206,340

10-yr earnings total

$488,990

$48,899/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

2.0 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Anderson University, the average net price is $25,021/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$23,119/yr

Family income $30-48k

$21,044/yr

Family income $48-75k

$22,418/yr

Family income $75-110k

$26,139/yr

Family income $110k+

$29,375/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Anderson University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Anderson University →

Opens on Anderson University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Anderson University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Anderson University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions

52 degrees · 34.9%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

32 degrees · 21.5%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Education

27 degrees · 18.1%

Typical career outcomes

Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k

Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

4. Visual & Performing Arts

25 degrees · 16.8%

Typical career outcomes

Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k

Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

5. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness

13 degrees · 8.7%

Typical career outcomes

Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k

Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Anderson University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	41	$64,084	$81,507
Accounting and Related Services.	Bachelor's Degree	5	—	$74,525
Marketing.	Bachelor's Degree	17	$39,577	$68,644
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	20	$34,294	$55,736
Social Work.	Bachelor's Degree	8	—	$51,748
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.	Bachelor's Degree	11	—	$51,172
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.	Bachelor's Degree	4	$46,637	$50,717
Psychology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	21	$27,482	$48,181
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.	Bachelor's Degree	14	$44,851	$47,968
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness.	Bachelor's Degree	16	$36,742	$46,029

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Anderson University

CS degrees (annual)

8

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Anderson University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Anderson University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Anderson University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Louisville

KY · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Arkansas

AR · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Mississippi

MS · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file