1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Cornerstone University Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Cornerstone University MI · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1199 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/cornerstone-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/cornerstone-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/cornerstone-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/cornerstone-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/cornerstone-university/similar/) ## Cornerstone University has an uneven overall Azimuth profile. ### Who it’s a good fit for Cornerstone University is a private nonprofit university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Business and Psychology account for more than half of bachelor's degrees. Affordability is around the average, the strongest of the four pillars, while mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that gap to a remainder it does not explain than to the factors it measures. Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole. The average price after aid for the lowest income band sits below the published cost, and the spread between the lowest and highest bands is modest. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the largest program is also the best-paid. ## Cornerstone University at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 77.8% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 61.9% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $53,010 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $17,872 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $25,000 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $18,141 ## Cornerstone University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Cornerstone University is a private nonprofit university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 1,298 undergraduates. In the Azimuth ranking of 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions, the university sits in the lower portion of the field. The university admits 77.8% of applicants, a rate close to the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 78.3% return for a second year and 61.9% finish within six years. Both figures run above the medians for comparable institutions of the same type and size, which are 74.2% and 54.9%. An estimated 30.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so a significant share of the student body did not start at Cornerstone University. The four pillars sit far apart. Affordability is the strongest (51st percentile), while mobility is the weakest (7th percentile). Return and access sit close together between them (31st and 30th percentiles). Affordability is the relative bright spot, but the four pillars do not point in the same direction for families weighing Cornerstone University. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth assigns 51st percentile to affordability, its strongest pillar. Azimuth places return at 31st percentile and access at 30th percentile. Mobility is lowest at 7th percentile. The affordability result sits well ahead of the school’s mobility, access, and return results. 32.8% of undergraduates at Cornerstone University receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at a rate of 40.3%, which is 21.6 percentage points below the overall [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) (61.9%). Azimuth ranks Cornerstone University #1,032 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #1,364 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Cornerstone University rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #1,199 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 7 **Access & reach** National percentile: 30 **[Affordability](/school/cornerstone-university/cost/)** National percentile: 51 **[Return on investment](/school/cornerstone-university/outcomes/)** National percentile: 31 01 / Cornerstone University briefing ## [Cornerstone University cost & financial aid](/school/cornerstone-university/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Cornerstone University, the published cost is $42,043, but aid recipients face an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $20,301, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. Published tuition and fees are $23,000, with room and board listed at $12,700. The average aid offset is $21,742, which accounts for much of the distance between the published cost and the average net price. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price, the middle value, is $22,347; Cornerstone University is $2,046 below that figure. Azimuth ranks the university #700 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its lower-than-peer net price sits alongside an affordability position near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. At Cornerstone University, published cost of attendance is $42,043, with aid-recipient prices varying across family-income bands. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $20,177 for the lowest family-income band, $17,674 for the lower-middle band, $17,872 for the middle band, $18,489 for the upper-middle band, and $23,135 for the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $2,958, and Azimuth ranks the university #700 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, financial aid savings against the sticker price average $21,742, and aid covers about 52% of the published cost. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $20,301; tuition and fees are $23,000, and room and board are $12,700. The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, placing the university $2,046 below that figure. Aid coverage and the lower average price point in the same direction. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,000, and 91.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $25,000, leaving the university level with the peer figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $18,141. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$17,872** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Cornerstone University Federal loans are part of the financing picture at Cornerstone University, with 91.0% of federal aid recipients borrowing through those programs. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,000. The university is level with the $25,000 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $18,141. Borrowing is common, and the median federal debt aligns with comparable institutions. Affordability is Cornerstone University’s strongest pillar, but the return figures are restrained: median earnings are $53,010 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) also points downward: Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios put earnings at $45,378 in a downside case, $53,010 in a typical case, and $66,936 in an upside case. Median federal debt of $25,000 is level with the peer median of $25,000. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings sit below both comparison points, while debt matches peers. Family borrowing can include a separate parent-borrower population: median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $18,141. For federal student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $25,000 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $18,141 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $284/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $230/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. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=cornerstone-university#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/cornerstone-university/cost/) 02 / Cornerstone University briefing ## [Cornerstone University career outcomes & earnings](/school/cornerstone-university/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Cornerstone University’s return figures sit below the model and its peers. Azimuth places the university in the 31st percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations measure—the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students—falls in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,120. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,498. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,010 four years after completion, placing the earnings figure in the 26th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915; the university’s figure is below by $2,905. Those measures point the same way. Graduates of Cornerstone University earn a median of $53,010 four years after completion, measured among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That median is $2,905 below the $55,915 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places that earnings level at the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That result is based on an earnings cohort of 529 completers. Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 30th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $45,378 on the downside to $66,936 on the upside, with typical earnings at $53,010. An estimated 27.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Cornerstone University has median earnings of $53,010 four years after completion, in the 26th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915, leaving the university $2,905 below that mark. Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 30th percentile. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the university #1,010 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $45,378 in the downside scenario to $66,936 in the upside scenario, both four years after completion. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,120. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,498. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $607. The peer comparison and the model result both point below their reference marks. Business Administration and Management is the largest program, with 65 degrees awarded and median earnings of $67,148 four years after completion. Its earnings are 0.98x of the national median for its field. The larger programs therefore show a range of reported earnings rather than a single pattern. Program mix makes the modeled earnings range at Cornerstone University broader than the typical scenario alone suggests. The downside scenario is $45,378 and the upside scenario is $66,936; both are earnings scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates. Among the higher-earning programs, Business Administration and Management has median earnings of $67,148, Marketing has $62,782, and Kinesiology and Physical Education has $56,231, all four years after completion. These program results sit within the wider modeled range. The debt comparison is neutral at Cornerstone University, though the earnings model provides a separate concern. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is the same, placing the university’s debt figure level with it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers using Parent PLUS have median debt of $18,141. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, adds context beyond borrowing alone. Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. Debt that matches peers and below-expected modeled earnings point in different directions, so the return picture is mixed. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** \-$1,120 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$5,498 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$6,618 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/cornerstone-university/outcomes/) 03 / Cornerstone University briefing ## [Cornerstone University acceptance rate & admissions](/school/cornerstone-university/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) At Cornerstone University, 77.8% of applicants were admitted in the reported cycle, meaning most applicants in that pool received an offer. The reported result sits above the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Applicants should use this rate to balance an application list with schools showing different admission outcomes. It summarizes a past applicant pool rather than forecasting an individual admission decision. Admissions **Admission rate** 77.8% [Read the full admissions brief](/school/cornerstone-university/admissions/) 04 / Cornerstone University briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Cornerstone University?](/school/cornerstone-university/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Business Administration and Management is the clearest higher-earning large program at Cornerstone University, with median earnings of $67,148 four years after completion across 65 degrees awarded. Kinesiology and Physical Education recorded $56,231 across 17 degrees awarded, placing it between the leading field and the more moderate programs. Psychology had median earnings of $47,933 and 43 degrees awarded, while Teacher Education posted $47,341 across 17 degrees awarded. The larger programs do not share one earnings level: the first pair sits higher, whereas the latter pair is more moderate four years after completion. Business accounts for 34.0% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Cornerstone University, making it the largest program family. The university has earnings data for 10 bachelor’s fields, showing different outcomes across its larger fields four years after completion. The program mix at Cornerstone University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 34.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Psychology is next at 20.5%, and Education at 10.4%. The largest program with published earnings is Business Administration and Management, at 65 degrees awarded a year, followed by Psychology at 43 degrees and Kinesiology and Physical Education at 17 degrees. Business Administration and Management is also the highest-earning program, with graduates earning a median of $67,148 four years after completion. Marketing, a smaller program at 15 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $62,782. Kinesiology and Physical Education, with 17 degrees awarded, has graduates earning $56,231, which is 1.03x the national median for its field. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication is a very small program at 6 degrees, but its graduates earn $54,344, or 1.08x the national median. The pattern is one of modest earnings concentrated in a few business and applied fields. 6.4% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the largest program outside of business, Psychology, reports earnings below the national median for its field. Four-year earnings for fields that commonly precede graduate study may understate later trajectories. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Business Administration, Management and Operations 65 degrees awarded** $67,148 **Psychology, General 43 degrees awarded** $47,933 **Health/Medical Preparatory Programs 20 degrees awarded** Too few graduates to report **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 17 degrees awarded** $47,341 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 17 degrees awarded** $56,231 **Communication and Media Studies 16 degrees awarded** $48,923 Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/cornerstone-university/majors/) 05 / Cornerstone University briefing ## How does Cornerstone University serve students from different backgrounds? Affordability is Cornerstone University’s stronger measured pillar; its mobility picture centers on a gap between overall and Pell completion. For the first-time full-time cohort, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 61.9%; Pell recipients complete within six years at 40.3%, below the overall rate by 21.6 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 7th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is also lower here: Graduates earn about $6,618 less than the model expects for similar students. That measure is in the 30th percentile. Cornerstone University has a fairly open admissions profile, admitting 77.8% of applicants. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,298; 32.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 30.7% arrive as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures describe a university serving a mix of direct-entry and transfer undergraduates, with Pell Grant participation part of its access picture. 06 / Cornerstone University briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Cornerstone University?](/school/cornerstone-university/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) 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](/school/cornerstone-university/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Cornerstone University. Admissions peerWestern Michigan University84.6% admitted+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | Western Michigan University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $62,885+$9,875 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $15,273\-$5,028 vs Cornerstone University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 84.6% | [Explore Western Michigan University →](/school/western-michigan-university/) Higher-admission alternativeAquinas College89.9% admitted+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | Aquinas College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $51,578\-$1,432 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $16,626\-$3,675 vs Cornerstone University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 89.9% | [Explore Aquinas College →](/school/aquinas-college/) Nearby alternativeThe University of OlivetNearby option · MI+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | The University of Olivet | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $52,261\-$749 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $21,393+$1,092 vs Cornerstone University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 83.3% | [Explore The University of Olivet →](/school/the-university-of-olivet/) Higher-earnings alternativeMichigan State University$74,093 earnings+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | Michigan State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $74,093+$21,083 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $19,680\-$621 vs Cornerstone University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 84.8% | [Explore Michigan State University →](/school/michigan-state-university/) Lower-cost alternativeAlbion College$14,301 average net price+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | Albion College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $55,297+$2,287 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $14,301\-$6,000 vs Cornerstone University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 80.7% | Similar profileWilliam Woods UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Cornerstone University | Measure | Cornerstone University | William Woods University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,010 | $52,367\-$643 vs Cornerstone University | | Average annual net price | $20,301 | $26,569+$6,268 vs Cornerstone University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 77.8% | 71.0% | 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. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/cornerstone-university/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 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](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields 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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **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` 3. **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` 4. **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` 5. **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. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **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` 7. **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 is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **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. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **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. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **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. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **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. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **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` 15. **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` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)