Students seeking a small, private Christian university environment who prioritize personal attention and faith-based education over maximum earnings potential. Families comfortable with moderate debt levels in exchange for the close-knit community and values-centered approach that comes with a smaller institution in Alabama.
Faulkner University provides meaningful educational access for first-generation and low-income students in a supportive, faith-centered environment.
While earnings outcomes are modest, the university maintains strong loan repayment performance and offers the close-knit community experience valued by many students.
Faulkner University is a small private nonprofit institution in Montgomery, Alabama, that serves students seeking a faith-based educational experience with personal attention. While the university provides access to higher education for many first-generation and Pell-eligible students, its graduates face more modest long-term earnings compared with national averages. About 44% of students receive Pell Grants and 43% are first-generation college students, reflecting the institution's commitment to serving diverse backgrounds.
Graduates earn a median of $43,457 ten years after enrollment, which places the university in the bottom quartile nationally for earnings outcomes. The institution falls into the "Under-Resourced Institutions" mobility category, indicating that while it provides access to higher education, financial outcomes for low-income students remain challenging. Net prices range from about $21,012 for low-income families to $31,706 for higher-income households.
As a small private institution, Faulkner offers the intimate campus experience and individualized attention that many students value, though families should carefully consider the financial trade-offs involved in this educational path.
Faulkner University's program portfolio centers on professional and service-oriented fields that align with its mission-driven approach. Business Administration and Management stands out as both the largest program, graduating 105 students, and the highest aggregate return major, with graduates earning $40,821 ten years after completion. This program represents the university's strongest pathway to middle-class earnings, though outcomes remain below what business graduates achieve at most other institutions.
Corrections Administration, the second-largest program with 70 graduates, reflects the university's focus on criminal justice and public service careers. Graduates in this field earn approximately $34,704, which aligns with typical public sector compensation but limits long-term earning potential. Executive/Career Coaching, while smaller with 50 graduates, produces slightly higher earnings at $38,289, suggesting some premium for specialized professional development roles.
The university's program mix emphasizes practical, career-focused education rather than high-earning technical or professional fields. While this approach serves students seeking direct pathways to employment, it also explains why overall earnings outcomes lag behind institutions with stronger representation in engineering, technology, healthcare, or finance. Students should consider whether the university's program strengths align with their career goals and financial expectations.
Graduates of Faulkner University face modest long-term earnings that rank in the bottom quartile nationally. Ten years after enrollment, the median graduate earns $43,457, well below typical outcomes at similar institutions. The university's earnings performance places it at the 13th percentile nationally, indicating that most comparable schools produce stronger financial returns for their graduates. This earnings gap represents a significant consideration for families weighing the long-term financial impact of their educational investment.
Program-level outcomes vary but remain generally modest across fields. Business Administration and Management, the university's largest program with 105 graduates, produces median earnings of $40,821 ten years out. Corrections Administration, another substantial program with 70 graduates, leads to earnings around $34,704, while Executive/Career Coaching graduates earn approximately $38,289. These figures reflect the university's focus on professional and service-oriented fields, though earnings in these areas lag behind what graduates in similar programs achieve at other institutions.
The university's return on investment challenges stem partly from its position as a smaller private institution without the research infrastructure or employer networks that drive higher earnings at larger universities. Students considering Faulkner should weigh the value of its intimate educational environment and mission-driven approach against the reality of more limited long-term earning potential compared with other educational options.
Affordability at Faulkner University presents a mixed picture, with net prices that vary significantly by family income level. Low-income students pay about $21,012 annually after aid, while middle-income families face costs around $27,967 per year, and higher-income households pay approximately $31,706. These prices place the university at the 30th percentile nationally for affordability, meaning most similar institutions offer more favorable pricing structures for families across income levels.
Debt levels require careful consideration given the university's modest earnings outcomes. Typical graduates leave with $23,000 in federal student loan debt, and families often supplement this with Parent PLUS loans averaging $11,187. While these debt amounts might seem manageable in isolation, they become more concerning when viewed against the university's below-average earnings outcomes. The combination of moderate debt with lower-than-typical earnings creates a challenging financial equation for many graduates.
The university maintains a zero percent federal loan default rate, which suggests that graduates generally manage to meet their basic repayment obligations. However, this metric doesn't capture the broader financial strain that borrowers may experience when earnings fall short of expectations while debt service continues as scheduled.
Faulkner University demonstrates strong commitment to educational access, serving a diverse student population that includes many first-generation and low-income students. About 44% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and 43% are first-generation college students, placing the institution well above national averages for serving underrepresented populations. The university also welcomes a significant number of transfer students, with an estimated 22% of students transferring in, providing pathways for students seeking to complete their degrees or change educational direction.
However, the university struggles to convert this broad access into strong upward mobility outcomes. Classified as an "Under-Resourced Institution" in mobility terms, Faulkner provides access but faces challenges in delivering the earnings outcomes that drive economic advancement. Low-income graduates earn a median of $32,000 ten years after enrollment, placing the university at just the 13th percentile nationally for low-income student earnings.
This represents an earnings gap of about $11,457 compared with graduates from higher-income backgrounds, suggesting that the institution has difficulty closing socioeconomic achievement gaps. Graduation rates also present challenges, with only 38% of students completing their degrees within six years. For Pell recipients specifically, completion rates hover around 30%, indicating that many students who begin their educational journey at Faulkner face obstacles to degree completion that compound the mobility challenges facing those who do graduate.
The university serves many first-generation and Pell-eligible students but struggles to convert this access into strong mobility outcomes.
With 44% Pell recipients and 43% first-generation students, Faulkner provides broad educational access, yet low-income graduates earn just $32,000 ten years out, placing the institution in the bottom tier nationally for economic mobility.
Faulkner University Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
