🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $19,693/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Students drawn to Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • 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
1,827
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$25,978
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$25,978
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
72.6%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$51,165
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
$50,515
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,165
4-year completion
21%
Median debt (completers)
$18,752
Cost of attendance
$39,675
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
36%

💰 True ROI

6.5× 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)
$78,772
$19,693/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$79,928
vs sticker $158,700
10-yr earnings total
$511,650
$51,165/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.5 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 Waldorf University, the average net price is $19,693/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$16,448/yr
Family income $30-48k
$18,378/yr
Family income $48-75k
$23,045/yr
Family income $75-110k
$21,244/yr
Family income $110k+
$23,667/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 Waldorf University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Waldorf University →

Opens on Waldorf 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 Waldorf University

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

1. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
203 degrees · 35.3%
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.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
165 degrees · 28.7%
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. Engineering Technologies
103 degrees · 17.9%
Typical career outcomes
Electrical Engineering Tech $72k Industrial Engineering Tech $64k Mechanical Engineering Tech $64k
Technician-track engineering roles. Strong wages, faster ramp than full engineer path.
4. Psychology
76 degrees · 13.2%
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. Communication, Journalism, & Related
28 degrees · 4.9%
Typical career outcomes
Public Relations Specialist $67k Marketing Manager $158k Writer / Editor $75k Reporter / Journalist $58k
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.

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 Waldorf 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
Fire Protection. Bachelor's Degree 51 $97,731 $100,060
Human Resources Management and Services. Bachelor's Degree 48 $77,897 $94,822
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 108 $65,908 $83,151
Homeland Security. Bachelor's Degree 71 $66,446 $76,520
Business/Commerce, General. Bachelor's Degree 103 $51,954 $63,357
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 32 $42,735 $54,289
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 66 $41,193 $50,184
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 28 $49,473
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 15 $49,228

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

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Waldorf University vs. another college

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