🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profile (SAT 1075–1243 · ACT 22–28 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students focused on Health Professions (the school's signature program)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1075, or ACT below 22, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (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
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Total enrollment
2,161
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$48,770
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$48,770
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
93.6%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%
1075–1243
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
22–28
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$62,069
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
$49,819
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,069
4-year completion
64%
Median debt (completers)
$25,000
Cost of attendance
$61,691
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
31%

💰 True ROI

7.2× 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)
$85,996
$21,499/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$160,768
vs sticker $246,764
10-yr earnings total
$620,690
$62,069/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.4 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 Bellarmine University, the average net price is $21,499/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$18,430/yr
Family income $30-48k
$19,358/yr
Family income $48-75k
$17,391/yr
Family income $75-110k
$21,987/yr
Family income $110k+
$29,194/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 Bellarmine University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Bellarmine University →

Opens on Bellarmine 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 Bellarmine University

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

1. Health Professions
171 degrees · 40.4%
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
94 degrees · 22.2%
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. Psychology
67 degrees · 15.8%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
47 degrees · 11.1%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
5. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
44 degrees · 10.4%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

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 Bellarmine 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
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 15 $84,262
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 113 $70,544 $82,814
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. Bachelor's Degree 9 $79,698
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 61 $41,061 $63,991
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Bachelor's Degree 53 $30,236 $61,841
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 76 $29,028 $53,413
Political Science and Government. Bachelor's Degree 13 $25,424 $52,228
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 25 $30,930 $51,527
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 42 $34,858 $50,665
English Language and Literature, General. Bachelor's Degree 8 $32,295 $45,612

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Bellarmine University

CS degrees (annual)
8
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Bellarmine University vs. another college

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