🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

  • Students drawn to Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness or Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 870, 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
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Total enrollment
815
Under 1,000
In-state tuition
$32,280
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$32,280
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
39.5%
Selective
SAT middle 50%
870–1220
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
16–26
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$43,545
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
$34,401
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,545
4-year completion
49%
Median debt (completers)
$25,000
Cost of attendance
$47,288
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
41%

💰 True ROI

4.6× 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)
$94,036
$23,509/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$95,116
vs sticker $189,152
10-yr earnings total
$435,450
$43,545/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
2.2 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 Brevard College, the average net price is $23,509/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$19,294/yr
Family income $30-48k
$23,532/yr
Family income $48-75k
$21,304/yr
Family income $75-110k
$25,337/yr
Family income $110k+
$28,763/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 Brevard College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Brevard College →

Opens on Brevard College'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 Brevard College

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

1. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
32 degrees · 27.8%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
2. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
27 degrees · 23.5%
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.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
26 degrees · 22.6%
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.
4. Visual & Performing Arts
19 degrees · 16.5%
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. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
11 degrees · 9.6%
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 Brevard College

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
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 25 $30,761 $57,660
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 33 $39,000 $51,834
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Bachelor's Degree 21 $41,193

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

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Brevard College 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 Brevard College

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 Brevard College 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
University of Kentucky
KY · Public
13 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Brevard College.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($22,920 less)
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($21,818 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($19,595 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($18,767 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($18,337 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
North Carolina Central University
NC · Public
90% admit rate (vs 40% here)
East Carolina University
NC · Public
90% admit rate (vs 40% here)
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
NC · Public
90% admit rate (vs 40% here)
Appalachian State University
NC · Public
89% admit rate (vs 40% here)
Western Carolina University
NC · Public
87% admit rate (vs 40% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Brevard College into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →