College · Private nonprofit · Grand Rapids, MI · City
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, MI
Religious affiliation
Admit rate78%
6-yr median pay$43k
Net price / yr$20k
Undergrad size1,298
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $20k/yr for a shot at a $43k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 78% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average ACT 23.
If you get in
1,298 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $42k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $20k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$168k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$81k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$87k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $23.0k
- Room & board
- $12.7k
- Books & supplies
- $560
How students pay for it.
Pell grants33%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans52%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr62%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$43k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$47k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 1,298
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · primarily residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · medium full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White70%
- Unknown7%
- Black7%
- Hispanic6%
- International5%
- Two or more races2%
- Asian2%
First-gen students35%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time21%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Median family income$50k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 43
What you can study.