MI · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1317 nationally
Data snapshot · Updated
Overall, Adrian College sits in Azimuth’s 10th percentile nationally.
Who it’s a good fit for
Adrian College is a private nonprofit university in Adrian, Michigan, where Business and Parks, Recreation & Fitness account for nearly half of bachelor's degrees. Return is the strongest , though it sits modestly below average, and mobility is below the levels seen at many peers.
Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds to expected earnings, while the part it cannot explain subtracts from them.
Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. Aid covers a large share of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the spread between the lowest and highest income bands is wide.
Pell students complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole, and access is modestly below average. The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and the degree mix leans toward professional fields.
A student drawn to Kinesiology or Criminal Justice should know that the largest programs are not the best-paid ones.
Adrian College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]
Adrian College is a private nonprofit university in Adrian, Michigan, enrolling 1,604 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the bottom of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The university admits 72.5% of applicants, a rate close to the 75.7% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among those who enroll full time, 65.4% return for a second year, which is below the peer median of 74.2%.
The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 48.4%, also below the peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 14.9% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.
The six-year graduation rate covers the first-time full-time cohort, which makes up the majority of the student body. The four pillars sit close together in the lower third of the ranking.
Return is the strongest and mobility is the weakest, with access and affordability falling between them.
Return is the comparatively strongest part of Adrian College's Azimuth profile, though its pillar results remain lower across the board. Azimuth places the university's return pillar in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Access is in the 31st percentile, affordability is in the 19th percentile, and mobility is weakest at the 8th percentile. The stronger return result sits alongside much weaker mobility and affordability measures, so the overall profile is uneven.
30.8% of undergraduates at Adrian College receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 873 and 1,140.
For the ACT, the middle 50% of submitted scores fell between 21 and 27. Azimuth ranks the university #1,018 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Pell recipients complete at 39.9%, which is 8.5 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (48.4%). Azimuth ranks the university #1,355 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students.
At Adrian College, the published annual cost is $56,003 (an average across living arrangements). Tuition and fees are $41,684 and room and board are $20,260.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,368. Average financial aid savings against the published price total $30,635.
The published total is a starting budget, while net price is an average across aid recipients rather than a quoted bill. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347, placing Adrian College above that figure by $3,021.
Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 19th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Higher-than-peer net price and a lower affordability standing point in the same direction.
For families receiving aid, the listed annual cost at Adrian College is $56,003 (an average across living arrangements) before grants and scholarships. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $19,542 in the lowest family-income band, $21,571 in the lower-middle band, $24,162 in the middle band, $27,166 in the upper-middle band, and $28,652 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,110, a difference between band averages. Azimuth ranks the college #1,150 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, offsetting $30,635 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $25,368; published tuition and fees are $41,684, with room and board listed at $20,260.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, and Adrian’s average net price is $3,021 above it. Aid reduces the listed cost substantially, though the average price remains above the comparable-institution median.
Borrowing is common among Adrian completers: median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000, and 98.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median federal debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $25,000, putting Adrian’s median $2,000 above that figure.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $38,405.
Your family income
Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.
Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$24,162
After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.
Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.
Borrowing and repayment at Adrian College
At Adrian College, federal borrowing is widespread: 98.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $27,000. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $25,000; Adrian College's median is $2,000 above that figure.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $38,405.
Four years after completing their degrees, Adrian College graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,233. That figure sits in the 34th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students. That result places earnings beyond expectations in the 21st percentile.
Earnings scenarios run from $50,260 on the downside to $71,432 on the upside, with $55,233 as the typical case. The median federal debt for completers who borrowed is $27,000, standing $2,000 above the comparable-institution median of $25,000.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point the same way.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $38,405. For student borrowers with the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$488/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
At Adrian College, the return record is uneven: graduates fall short of the model and of comparable colleges. Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students.
This earnings-beyond-expectations measure—the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students—sits in Azimuth’s 21st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 33rd percentile in that coverage set.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,270. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,746.
Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,233, placing that figure in the 34th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915, with Adrian College $682 below it. The model and peer comparisons point in the same direction.
Adrian College shows a mixed earnings picture across its earnings scenarios. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provide one part of that picture.
Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $55,233 four years after completion, from an earnings cohort of 387 completers.
Azimuth puts this earnings measure in the 34th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The model's typical earnings scenario matches the reported median; its downside scenario is $50,260, and its upside scenario is $71,432.
These are modeled from the program mix rather than observed groups. An estimated 26.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The below-expected result sits alongside a range that varies with program mix.
Adrian College graduates earn a median of $55,233 four years after completion. That is $682 below the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth ranks the university #982 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students.
That places the gap at the 21st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,270.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,746. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $719.
The program mix tilts toward business and service fields, with a small STEM share of 14.4% of degrees awarded. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from a downside of $50,260 to an upside of $71,432.
An estimated 26.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.
Program choice leaves considerable variation around the school-wide earnings picture, from a downside scenario of $50,260 to an upside scenario of $71,432. These are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.
Among program medians four years after completion, Accounting reaches $77,588, Business Administration and Management reaches $69,654, and Marketing reaches $66,808. Those field-level results show why the modeled range is broad.
At Adrian College, borrowing and earnings beyond expectations both call for close attention. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000; this measure covers federal-loan borrowers and excludes Parent PLUS.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, placing the college's debt above it by $2,000. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provide a separate modeled comparison. Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students.
Debt above peers and earnings below the model point in the same direction for families weighing cost against early earnings.
What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,270
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$11,746
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$9,476
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Adrian College admitted 72.5% of applicants in the reported entering class, a rate that describes that year’s applicant pool rather than an individual applicant’s odds. For context, the rate can be read against the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Applicants should place Adrian College on an application list only after comparing their academic record with its published score ranges.
SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
72.5%
Approximate lower endpoint
873
Reported average
1034
Approximate upper endpoint
1140
Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.
At Adrian College, the published figures separate higher-earning business fields from a more moderate outcome in its largest health-and-fitness program. Accounting records median earnings of $77,588 four years after completion, alongside 17 degrees awarded.
Business Administration and Management follows with $69,654 in median earnings and 27 degrees awarded. Marketing shows median earnings of $66,808 four years after completion across 24 degrees awarded.
By comparison, Kinesiology and Physical Education recorded $51,559 and 54 degrees awarded. The higher figures in the business programs sit alongside a lower reading in the largest program, so field-level earnings differ within the college.
Accounting is the highest-earning published field at Adrian College, with median earnings of $77,588 four years after completion and 17 degrees awarded. Published earnings data cover 10 fields.
Business Administration and Management follows with $69,654 in median earnings and 27 degrees awarded. Marketing had median earnings of $66,808 four years after completion, alongside 24 degrees awarded.
For Biology, the corresponding figures were $63,816 and 29 degrees awarded. Social Work recorded $54,277 in median earnings and 11 degrees awarded. The published fields show a broad spread in earnings across academic choices.
The program mix at Adrian College is anchored by Business, which accounts for 26.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 19.1%. Security & Protective Services is the third-largest family, at 11.7%.
The university has 10 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Kinesiology and Physical Education, at 54 degrees awarded a year, followed by Criminal Justice with 33 and Biology with 29.
The highest-earning program is Accounting, where graduates earn a median of $77,588 four years after completion, from 17 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management, the fourth-largest program, is next at $69,654 with 27 degrees awarded, and Marketing follows at $66,808 from 24 degrees.
Biology, the third-largest program, reports median earnings of $63,816, which is a benchmark ratio of 1.11x against the national median for its field. The pattern is one of earnings concentrated in the business and accounting programs, while the largest program by degrees awarded sits below the national median for its field.
Kinesiology and Physical Education graduates earn $51,559, a benchmark ratio of 0.94x, and Subject-Area Teacher Education graduates earn $48,453 with a ratio of 0.94x. Across all fields, 14.4% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and four-year earnings for fields where graduate study is common may understate later trajectories.
Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 54 degrees awarded
$51,559
Criminal Justice and Corrections 33 degrees awarded
$54,077
Biology, General 29 degrees awarded
$63,816
Business Administration, Management and Operations 27 degrees awarded
$69,654
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 26 degrees awarded
$48,453
Marketing 24 degrees awarded
$66,808
Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.
How does Adrian College serve students from different backgrounds?
Return is Adrian College's strongest pillar, but its mobility figures remain limited. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 48.4%; Pell recipients' six-year completion rate is 39.9%, below the overall rate by 8.5 percentage points.
Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 8th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sit in the 21st percentile. Graduates earn about $9,476 less than the model expects for similar students.
A 72.5% admission rate gives Adrian College a fairly open entry point, and its undergraduate enrollment is 1,604 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 30.8% of undergraduates, with an estimated 14.9% arriving as transfers or part-time students.
Azimuth puts the access pillar in the 31st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The enrollment mix and admission rate describe a modest access profile.
Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.
A shortlist for different decisions
Choose a row to compare the figures with Adrian College.
Admissions peerTiffin University80.1% admitted+
Comparison with Adrian College
Measure
Adrian College
Tiffin University
Peer earnings · 4 years
$55,233
$63,797+$8,564 vs Adrian College
Average annual net price
$25,368
$26,500+$1,132 vs Adrian College · higher cost
Admission rate
72.5%
80.1%
Higher-admission alternativePurdue University Fort Wayne83.9% admitted+
Similar profileOhio Wesleyan UniversityMatched across several measures+
Comparison with Adrian College
Measure
Adrian College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Peer earnings · 4 years
$55,233
$54,483-$750 vs Adrian College
Average annual net price
$25,368
$20,897-$4,471 vs Adrian College · lower cost
Admission rate
72.5%
55.6%
Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.
Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.
Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.
Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.
Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.
Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR