Percentile rankings vs 1,600+ peer institutions. Higher is better.
Career OutcomesAzimuth ranks Pillar College #413 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pillar College sits in the 48.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earn about $2,179 less than similar students at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Pillar College #456 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. --- Pillar College's composite ranking reflects a consistent pattern of graduate outcomes that outperform what similar students achieve at comparable institutions, anchored by its earnings beyond expectations standing among nonprofit four-year institutions. The institution's mobility ranking underscores its role in translating access — particularly for students in the Newark area — into durable post-graduation outcomes.
Azimuth ranks Pillar College #413 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. A private university in Newark, NJ, Pillar College enrolls roughly 498 undergraduates. The institution's dominant program family is Psychology, shaping both its academic identity and the career pathways most graduates pursue. Where Pillar College performs strongest is return on investment. Azimuth ranks Pillar College #1247 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median four-year earnings of $44,376, and earn about $2,179 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pillar College in the 48.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access and affordability shape the composite's other dimensions. Pillar College sits in the 89.1 percentile for access and the 92.1 percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, with mobility outcomes in the 61.5 percentile. 69.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 58.7% are first-generation college students, reflecting a student body that draws heavily from families with limited prior college experience — a population for whom strong earnings beyond expectations carry particular weight.
Pillar College's published cost of attendance is $38,047. Net price by income band shows meaningful variation: low-income families pay approximately $15,139, while middle-income families pay around $3,181, and higher-income families pay approximately $4,411. Azimuth ranks Pillar College #114 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown. Pillar College participates in federal need-based aid programs, including Pell Grants and Direct Loans, alongside institutional aid. The difference between published cost of attendance and actual net price reflects the institution's aid structure; families should review their individual aid packages to understand their specific out-of-pocket costs. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $21,483, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $9,787; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the Parent PLUS risk framework for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $44,376, median federal debt of $21,483 projects to a monthly payment of about $243 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.
Pillar College is a small private nonprofit institution in Newark, NJ, oriented around Psychology and related human-services fields — a strong fit for students drawn to counseling, ministry, social work, and community-facing careers who want a faith-integrated academic environment in the New York metro area. The earnings and return picture is modest relative to the broader nonprofit four-year institutions: graduates earn median $44,376 four years after enrollment, placing Pillar College in the 2.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, and earn about $2,179 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the college in the 48.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Students whose career goals center on mission-driven or public-service work — where compensation is structurally lower across the sector — will find those figures more representative of realistic outcomes than students expecting market-rate salaries. Fit depends on two realistic filters: Pillar's program portfolio is concentrated in Psychology and adjacent fields, so students seeking engineering, business, or STEM pathways will find limited options here. The institution's small scale and faith-based mission are central to its identity, and students who align with that environment and plan careers in community service, ministry, or behavioral health will find the most relevant academic preparation.
This school profile was generated using Azimuth's proprietary ROI framework, developed by founder Daniel Rogers. Our methodology transforms federal education data into actionable insights for families.
College Azimuth is a private research initiative and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Data sourced from College Scorecard.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment, or professional advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.
Comprehensive Analysis
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This is the Pillar College hub overview page. Related admissions, cost, outcomes, majors, and similar-school pages provide the detailed school data.
Based on federal data for students receiving aid. Actual costs may vary.
Pillar College's published cost of attendance is $38,047. Net price by income band shows meaningful variation: low-income families pay approximately $15,139, while middle-income families pay around $3,181, and higher-income families pay approximately $4,411.
Azimuth ranks Pillar College #114 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.
Pillar College participates in federal need-based aid programs, including Pell Grants and Direct Loans, alongside institutional aid. The difference between published cost of attendance and actual net price reflects the institution's aid structure; families should review their individual aid packages to understand their specific out-of-pocket costs.
Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $21,483, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $9,787; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $44,376, median federal debt of $21,483 projects to a monthly payment of about $243 under standard ten-year repayment.
For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).
Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $44,376, placing Pillar College in the 2.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $57,042 median at comparable institutions, and graduates earn about $2,179 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pillar College in the 48.6 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Those figures represent meaningful returns relative to NJ's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $34,809 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential. The program lineup at Pillar College is anchored by Psychology, which accounts for 17% of degree output and shapes the institution's overall earnings profile.
Psychology, General represents the strongest aggregate return among programs offered, combining cohort scale with competitive early-career pay. Psychology, General, the largest program with 30 graduates, delivers median earnings of $49,543 four years after enrollment — roughly 1.0x the national benchmark for the field, and Azimuth ranks Psychology, General #121 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/).
Business Administration follows with 8 graduates earning $61,165 — 0.9x its field benchmark — while Bible/Biblical Studies rounds out the core with 6 graduates contributing to the institution's concentrated program footprint. Azimuth ranks Pillar College #1247 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Business Administration, Management and Operations
8 graduates
Psychology, General
30 graduates
Pillar College's program mix is anchored in Psychology, which accounts for 17% of degree output, with Education representing an additional 6% of graduates. This concentration reflects the college's identity as a faith-rooted institution oriented toward human services, counseling, and community-facing careers — a profile more common among smaller private nonprofits than among large research universities.
The largest program by graduate volume is Psychology, General, with 30 graduates earning median earnings of $49,543 four years after enrollment, followed by Business Administration with 8 graduates earning $61,165, and Bible/Biblical Studies with 6 graduates. The highest-earning program in the Azimuth coverage set is Business Administration, where 8 graduates earn median earnings of $61,165 four years after enrollment.
Azimuth ranks Psychology, General #121 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 30 graduates earning $49,543. Many of Pillar College's dominant program families — particularly Psychology and human-services-adjacent fields — are grad-school-dependent pathways, meaning four-year earnings figures undercount the longer-term trajectory of graduates who continue to counseling licensure programs, social work graduate study, or ministry training.
Students planning direct-to-workforce entry will find the strongest near-term earnings in Psychology, General, while those pursuing graduate or professional credentials should weigh the [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) in their intended field before drawing conclusions from four-year earnings alone.
