🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

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
M2: Master's - Medium Programs
Total enrollment
614
Under 1,000
In-state tuition
$26,770
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$26,770
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
62.7%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$48,896
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
$41,923
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,896
4-year completion
18%
Median debt (completers)
$21,855
Cost of attendance
$42,539
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
51%

💰 True ROI

4.8× 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)
$102,292
$25,573/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$67,864
vs sticker $170,156
10-yr earnings total
$488,960
$48,896/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
2.1 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 Bluefield University, the average net price is $25,573/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$25,807/yr
Family income $30-48k
$25,454/yr
Family income $48-75k
$25,732/yr
Family income $75-110k
$25,374/yr
Family income $110k+
$25,430/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 Bluefield University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Bluefield University →

Opens on Bluefield 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 Bluefield University

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
30 degrees · 29.4%
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.
2. Public Administration & Social Services
20 degrees · 19.6%
Typical career outcomes
Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k
Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.
3. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
19 degrees · 18.6%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
4. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
18 degrees · 17.6%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
5. Education
15 degrees · 14.7%
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.

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 Bluefield 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 15 $70,698 $91,278
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 42 $46,234 $63,715
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 28 $41,005 $56,811
Human Services, General. Bachelor's Degree 26 $33,808 $43,789
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Bachelor's Degree 12 $24,450 $41,595

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Bluefield University

CS degrees (annual)
1
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Bluefield 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.

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