🎯 Parent/student verdict

Strong target

Selective but achievable for strong students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $12,709/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Strong overall academic profile (3.9+ GPA in rigorous coursework + strong essays — school is test-optional, so transcript carries the most weight)
  • Students focused on Business, Management, & Marketing (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
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Total enrollment
620
Under 1,000
In-state tuition
$13,498
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$13,498
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
33.8%
Selective
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$29,288
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
$27,021
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$29,288
4-year completion
27%
Median debt (completers)
$23,373
Cost of attendance
$23,587
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
67%

💰 True ROI

5.8× 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)
$50,836
$12,709/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$43,512
vs sticker $94,348
10-yr earnings total
$292,880
$29,288/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.7 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 Paul Quinn College, the average net price is $12,709/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$11,443/yr
Family income $30-48k
$12,053/yr
Family income $48-75k
$13,626/yr
Family income $75-110k
$15,230/yr
Family income $110k+
$18,556/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 Paul Quinn College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Paul Quinn College →

Opens on Paul Quinn 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 Paul Quinn College

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
27 degrees · 46.6%
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.
2. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
12 degrees · 20.7%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
3. Health Professions
10 degrees · 17.2%
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.
4. Legal Professions & Studies
5 degrees · 8.6%
Typical career outcomes
Paralegal $61k Lawyer (post-JD) $146k Court Reporter $65k
Undergrad in legal studies is usually a pre-law path. Real lawyer salary requires JD.
5. Psychology
4 degrees · 6.9%
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.

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.

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Paul Quinn College vs. another college

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