Private Nonprofit · Louisville, Kentucky

Bellarmine University

Bellarmine University is a private nonprofit institution in Louisville, Kentucky. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.

$62,069
10-yr median earnings
86.1%
Acceptance rate
$21,499
Avg net price / yr
66.1%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Bellarmine University pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with open admission.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 14%
former-student earnings, US
86.1%
acceptance rate
66.1%
150%-time completion
+25%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Bellarmine University profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C
College Value Score
57/100
Bellarmine University

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings A
$62,069
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$21,499
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C+
66.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$25,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
82.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention D
75.1%
First-year students returning for year two
Bellarmine University vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$62,069

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$21,499

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

66.1%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 66.1%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Bellarmine University vs peers

Bellarmine University positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Bellarmine University positioned by earnings… Carnegie Classification: Doctoral/Prof Doctoral/P… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $32K $70K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $5K $27K Avg Net Price ($) Bellarmine University (you are here): $62K earn · $21K net · 66% grad You are here - Bellarmine Univers… Lindsey Wilson University: $41K earn · $15K net · 41% grad Lindsey Wilson Uni… Berea College: $43K earn · $6K net · 60% grad Berea College Campbellsville University: $42K earn · $19K net · 44% grad Campbellsville Uni… Asbury University: $42K earn · $21K net · 65% grad Asbury University Centre College: $66K earn · $21K net · 83% grad Centre College Thomas More University: $59K earn · $22K net · 40% grad Sullivan University: $38K earn · $26K net · 56% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Bellarmine University ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Bellarmine University: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$62,069 Top 14% higher than 86% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Bellarmine University National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $62,069 #690 of 5103 86th
Average net price $21,499 #3359 of 5020 33rd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 66.1% #1735 of 4858 64th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,161 #1399 of 5462 74th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

2,161
Undergraduate enrollment
86.1%
Acceptance rate
1,210
SAT average
66.1%
150%-time completion
$62,069
10-yr median earnings
75.1%
First-year retention

How Bellarmine University ranks in Kentucky

State rank among 70 reporting Kentucky colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Bellarmine University State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $62,069 #2 of 70 97th
Average net price $21,499 #61 of 79 23rd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 66.1% #13 of 75 83rd
Undergraduate enrollment 2,161 #20 of 81 75th

Highest former-student earnings in Kentucky

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Centre College$66,240$20,781
2Bellarmine UniversityThis school$62,069$21,499
3Galen College of Nursing-Louisville$61,480$18,540
4Galen College of Nursing-ARH$61,480$21,164
5Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville$61,480$28,475
6Thomas More University$59,384$21,835
7University of Kentucky$59,025$18,851
8Transylvania University$54,705$21,913
9University of Louisville$53,899$17,988
10Georgetown College$52,074$14,095
11Northern Kentucky University$50,220$8,191
12Spalding University$49,438$25,491

Admissions

Admission Rate 86.1%
SAT Average 1,210
SAT Math (25th-75th) 520 – 620
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 510 – 630
ACT Average 24
ACT (25th-75th) 23 – 28
0%100%86.1%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Bellarmine University

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Bellarmine University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $48,770
Out-of-State Tuition $48,770
Average Net Price $21,499
30.7%
Pell Grant Rate
48.9%
Federal Loan Rate
$25,000
Median Debt
$265/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at Bellarmine University swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $22,229 to $24,433 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +0.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$22,229
Highest year
$24,433
Most recent (2023)
$23,587
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $23,4872014: $23,8502015: $23,4942016: $23,8782017: $24,4332018: $23,2232019: $23,1212020: $23,9922021: $23,4432022: $22,2292023: $23,587
2013 · $23,4872023 · $23,587

Over the same years, enrollment went -8.9% (2,508 → 2,286 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

67.9%
Female
27.3%
First Generation

Outcomes

75.1%
Retention Rate
$49,819
Median Earnings (6yr)
76.3%
Earning Over $25K
82.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 66.1%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 75.1%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $49,819
Median earnings 10 years after entry $62,069
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 76.3%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 82.8%
Median federal student debt At completion $25,000
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $265/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 18 539 $60,896 $84,262 $26,242
Master's 6 186 $80,646 $107,394 $30,957
Doctoral 1 0 $81,343 $81,343 $136,158

Top programs at Bellarmine University by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Master's 30 $107,394 $41,000
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 73 $89,391 $26,735
Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's 15 $84,262 -
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 113 $82,814 $25,000
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Doctoral - $81,343 $136,158
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Bachelor's 9 $79,698 -
Educational Administration and Supervision Master's 18 $71,227 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 61 $63,991 $26,000
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 53 $61,841 $25,841
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Master's 65 $54,573 $25,137
Psychology, General Bachelor's 76 $53,413 $25,990
Political Science and Government Bachelor's 13 $52,228 $25,226
Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's 25 $51,527 $25,990
Communication and Media Studies Bachelor's 42 $50,665 $25,853
English Language and Literature, General Bachelor's 8 $45,612 $27,000

Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Bellarmine University?
Bellarmine University is a private nonprofit institution in Louisville, Kentucky. The acceptance rate is 86.1%. The average SAT score is 1,210. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,161 students.
How much do Bellarmine University former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Bellarmine University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,069 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $49,819.
How much does Bellarmine University cost?
The average net price at Bellarmine University is $21,499. In-state tuition is $48,770 and out-of-state tuition is $48,770. Median student debt at graduation is $25,000.
What is the graduation rate at Bellarmine University?
Bellarmine University has a 66.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 75.1%.
Is Bellarmine University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Bellarmine University is $25,000, while former students earn a median of $62,069 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 40% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 82.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $265.

Sources & methodology

Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.

Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Bellarmine University

Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.