Cornerstone University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Cornerstone University

Cornerstone University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 1,298 students of which 1,750 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Cornerstone University is categorized as “18” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 77.8%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and an ACT midpoint of 23. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $20,301, with published in-state tuition of $23,000 and a Pell grant recipient share of 32.8%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $25,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 61.7%, and the first-year retention rate is 78.3%. Graduates earn a median of $47,314 ten years after enrolling, compared with $42,598 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 134900.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 60.6% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.