🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

  • Students focused on Health Professions (the school's signature program)
  • 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
1,575
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$40,848
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$40,848
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
65.4%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$53,843
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
$47,439
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,843
4-year completion
57%
Median debt (completers)
$25,000
Cost of attendance
$54,073
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
49%

💰 True ROI

5.5× 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)
$98,764
$24,691/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$117,528
vs sticker $216,292
10-yr earnings total
$538,430
$53,843/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.8 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 Caldwell University, the average net price is $24,691/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$18,059/yr
Family income $30-48k
$18,000/yr
Family income $48-75k
$22,793/yr
Family income $75-110k
$31,425/yr
Family income $110k+
$30,449/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 Caldwell University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Caldwell University →

Opens on Caldwell 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 Caldwell University

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

1. Health Professions
130 degrees · 50.4%
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
48 degrees · 18.6%
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.
3. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
30 degrees · 11.6%
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.
4. Psychology
29 degrees · 11.2%
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.
5. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
21 degrees · 8.1%
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 Caldwell 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 79 $88,550 $103,559
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 33 $31,248 $74,113
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 10 $69,147
Public Health. Bachelor's Degree 11 $61,691
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 12 $48,946 $60,433
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 16 $22,371 $57,307
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 45 $24,239 $56,977
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 26 $22,939 $54,225
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 22 $50,056

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Caldwell University

CS degrees (annual)
15
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Caldwell 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.

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Caldwell University into your overall strategy:

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