Is College of Saint Benedict Worth It?

College of Saint Benedict gives you a solid but uneven financial return. The $63,260 median earnings ten years out sits well above the roughly $27,000 you'll carry in debt, and an 83% graduation rate with 88% retention means you're likely to finish and start paying that debt down instead of dropping out with loans and no degree. That combination is the strongest thing this school has going for it.

Your major decides how good the return actually is. Nursing pays about $63,000 and carries $27,000 in debt, so the numbers roughly wash against each other with room to grow. Accounting lands close behind and comes with slightly lower debt, making it the cleaner value on paper. Business management drops to about $52,000 for the same $27,000 debt load, and communication and media studies bottoms out near $41,000 while still leaving you with $27,000 to repay. Pick communication here and you're paying nursing-level debt for two-thirds of the paycheck.

The main risk is price at higher incomes. If your family earns over $110,000, you'll pay $32,617 a year, more than the sticker net price and far above what lower-income families pay. If you land in a lower-paying major at that price, the math turns against you fast.

This school fits you well if you're heading into nursing or accounting and qualify for the lower income tiers. Families under $48,000 pay around $15,000 a year, which makes almost any major here defensible. If you're paying full freight and leaning toward communication or a softer-earning field, look at cheaper options before committing $130,000 over four years to a $41,000 outcome.