Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, TX · 12 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$157,610 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

25.7 yrsModeled economic break-even
−61%Modeled 10-year ROI
$55,061Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$157,610at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$258,2200
2
4
6
8
−$157,61010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 25.7 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$32,960
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$32,960
Sticker price
Average net price$19,555
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$45,904
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Main award level
Bachelor’s degrees
Campus setting
City
Admissions
Selective admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$19,555Average net price / year
$45,904Cost of attendance
$24,711Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$262/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$55,061Median earnings · year 5 after completion
46.0%Completion rate
90.0%Admission rate
1,283Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$13,822
$30–48k$15,190
$48–75k$17,248
$75–110k$18,182
$110k+$25,639
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$55,061
Year 6$44,392
Year 10$54,771
Full-time retention
64.9%
Part-time retention
66.7%
Completion within 200% of normal time
58.7%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

72thEarnings percentile
32thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$52,005Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$26,695Median federal debt across categories that report debt
42%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$40,226Year 1
$53,769Year 4
$55,061Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$90,2762Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Doctoral Degree$83,8203Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's Degree$72,4254Theological and Ministerial Studies · Master's Degree$65,1475Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · Master's Degree$63,6326Student Counseling and Personnel Services · Master's Degree$57,1677Biology, General · Bachelor's Degree$52,0058Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's Degree$51,722

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in TX

Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Stafford, TX

North American University

Annual net price
$18,721
Observed earnings · year 5
$55,417
Modeled 10-year ROI
-59%
Open college profile →
Plainview, TX

Wayland Baptist University

Annual net price
$20,590
Observed earnings · year 5
$56,493
Modeled 10-year ROI
-56%
Open college profile →
Abilene, TX

McMurry University

Annual net price
$19,581
Observed earnings · year 5
$52,587
Modeled 10-year ROI
-71%
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Kerrville, TX

Schreiner University

Annual net price
$21,507
Observed earnings · year 5
$56,143
Modeled 10-year ROI
-58%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$90,276Not availableNot reported
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral Degree$83,820Not available38
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree$72,425Not availableNot reported
Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's Degree$65,147Not availableNot reported
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's Degree$63,632Not availableNot reported
Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's Degree$57,167Not availableNot reported
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$52,005$26,500Not reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree$51,722$27,709Not reported
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree$50,560$26,850Not reported
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree$49,389$28,000Not reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$48,112$24,290Not reported
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$47,423$26,695Not reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.