Students at Manhattan Christian College benefit from exceptionally fast debt repayment patterns, with borrowers paying off balances more quickly than at nearly all comparable institutions.
The college's small scale creates intensive mentorship opportunities and close faculty relationships that larger institutions cannot match.
Manhattan Christian College is a small private nonprofit institution in Kansas that serves students seeking a faith-centered education in an intimate academic setting. With fewer than 500 students, the college provides highly personalized attention and a close-knit community atmosphere that larger institutions cannot match. The college draws a diverse student body, with about 45% of students receiving Pell Grants and roughly 27% being first-generation college students, demonstrating its commitment to serving students from various economic backgrounds.
Graduates earn a median of $48,860 ten years after enrollment, which places the institution around the middle of the national distribution for long-term earnings outcomes. The college's 55% six-year graduation rate reflects the challenges many small institutions face in student retention, though this varies significantly by individual student preparation and engagement. What distinguishes Manhattan Christian College is its specialized mission and the intensive mentorship opportunities that come with its small scale.
As a private Christian college, Manhattan Christian College offers an alternative to large public universities for students who prioritize faith integration, small class sizes, and close faculty relationships. The institution serves students who value community-centered learning and are willing to invest in a specialized educational experience that emphasizes personal development alongside academic growth.
Manhattan Christian College's small size means limited program diversity, with most academic offerings centered around the institution's Christian liberal arts mission. The college typically focuses on fields such as ministry, education, and general liberal arts studies that align with its faith-based educational philosophy. Without extensive program-level data available, it's clear that the college prioritizes depth over breadth, offering intensive study in areas that support Christian service and leadership.
The intimate scale allows for highly personalized academic experiences, with students often working closely with faculty on independent projects and receiving mentorship that would be difficult to achieve at larger institutions. This approach benefits students who thrive in small seminar-style classes and value close relationships with professors who know them individually.
While the college may not offer the extensive program menu found at comprehensive universities, its focused approach allows for deep engagement in chosen fields of study. Students interested in ministry, Christian education, or faith-integrated liberal arts will find specialized preparation that larger, secular institutions typically cannot provide. The college's graduates often pursue careers in churches, Christian schools, and faith-based organizations where the specialized training and character development emphasized at Manhattan Christian College provide distinct advantages.
Manhattan Christian College graduates achieve moderate long-term earnings outcomes, with a median income of $48,860 ten years after enrollment. This places the institution around the national average for earnings performance, reflecting the college's focus on fields that typically emphasize service and ministry rather than high-salary careers. Early career earnings show graduates earning about $40,023 six years out, indicating steady but modest income growth as careers develop over time.
The college's small size means limited program diversity, but graduates generally enter stable career paths aligned with the institution's Christian mission and liberal arts foundation. Many alumni pursue careers in ministry, education, social services, and other service-oriented fields where financial rewards may be more modest but personal fulfillment runs high. The intimate campus environment and close faculty mentorship help students develop strong professional networks within their chosen fields, though the overall alumni network remains smaller than what larger institutions can provide.
While earnings may not reach the levels seen at large research universities or technical institutions, Manhattan Christian College graduates often find meaningful work that aligns with their values and educational experience. The college's emphasis on character development and faith integration prepares students for careers where impact and purpose matter as much as salary, creating a different but valid measure of return on educational investment.
Manhattan Christian College presents a mixed affordability picture, with net prices that vary significantly by family income level. Low-income students pay about $21,548 annually after aid, while middle-income families face costs around $22,654 per year, and higher-income families see net prices reaching $26,089. These figures place the college in the lower tier nationally for affordability, reflecting the financial challenges many small private institutions face in providing extensive need-based aid.
The college's small endowment and limited resources mean that financial aid packages may not be as generous as those offered by larger private institutions or public universities. However, the personalized attention and small class sizes can provide educational value that some families find worth the additional cost. Students typically graduate with about $24,250 in federal loan debt, a moderate level that reflects both the college's pricing and students' borrowing patterns.
Families considering Manhattan Christian College should carefully evaluate the total cost against their financial capacity and the specific value they place on the college's unique educational environment. The institution works best for families who can manage higher education costs in exchange for the specialized Christian liberal arts experience and intimate campus community that defines the college's educational approach.
Manhattan Christian College Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
