Private Nonprofit · Defiance, Ohio

Defiance College

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

$49,351
10-yr median earnings
47.5%
Acceptance rate
$26,337
Avg net price / yr
33.6%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Defiance College pairs above-median former-student earnings with a selective admit.

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

Top 30%
former-student earnings, US
47.5%
acceptance rate
33.6%
150%-time completion
+26%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant Carnegie: Bacc: Diverse
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Defiance College 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 ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields"), 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

F
College Value Score
33/100
Defiance College

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 B-
$49,351
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$26,337
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
33.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$26,813
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C+
65.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
55.6%
First-year students returning for year two
Defiance College 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

$49,351

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$26,337

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

33.6%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 33.6%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Defiance College vs peers

Defiance College 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 7 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Defiance College positioned by earnings vs c… Carnegie Classification: Bacc: Diverse Bacc: Dive… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $34K $79K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $9K $31K Avg Net Price ($) Defiance College (you are here): $49K earn · $26K net · 34% grad You are here - Defiance College Mount Carmel College of Nursing: $75K earn · $10K net · 64% grad Mount Carmel Colle… Cleveland Institute of Art: $43K earn · $29K net · 62% grad Cleveland Institut… Lourdes University: $48K earn · $23K net · 35% grad Lourdes University Kettering College: $67K earn · $22K net · 65% grad Kettering College Bluffton University: $50K earn · $20K net · 51% grad Bluffton University Northwest State Community College: $40K earn · $14K net · 46% 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 Defiance College 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.

Defiance College: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$49,351 Top 30% higher than 70% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $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 Defiance College National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $49,351 #1530 of 5103 70th
Average net price $26,337 #4077 of 5020 19th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 33.6% #4061 of 4858 16th
Undergraduate enrollment 499 #2858 of 5462 48th

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

Quick Facts

499
Undergraduate enrollment
47.5%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
33.6%
150%-time completion
$49,351
10-yr median earnings
55.6%
First-year retention

How Defiance College ranks in Ohio

State rank among 243 reporting Ohio colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Defiance College State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $49,351 #77 of 243 68th
Average net price $26,337 #187 of 228 18th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 33.6% #192 of 235 18th
Undergraduate enrollment 499 #117 of 257 54th

Highest former-student earnings in Ohio

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Chamberlain University-Ohio$92,405$31,544
2Case Western Reserve University$87,989$41,190
3Ohio Northern University$80,928$24,478
4Four County Career Center$77,338-
5University of Dayton$75,537$29,533
6Mount Carmel College of Nursing$75,103$10,420
7Mount Carmel College of Nursing - Fairfield$75,103-
8Kenyon College$71,830$38,512
9Trinity Health System School of Nursing$71,660$9,825
10Firelands Regional Medical Center School of Nursing$68,723-
11The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences$68,303$18,378
12Denison University$67,753$40,007
77Defiance CollegeThis school$49,351$26,337

Admissions

Admission Rate 47.5%
ACT Average 20
0%100%47.6%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Defiance College

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 Defiance College - 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 $29,320
Out-of-State Tuition $29,320
Average Net Price $26,337
49.8%
Pell Grant Rate
72.4%
Federal Loan Rate
$26,813
Median Debt
$284/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at Defiance College swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $22,815 to $26,642 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +4.0%, 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
$22,815
Highest year
$26,642
Most recent (2023)
$23,722
Average net price, 2013–2023

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

2013: $22,8152014: $24,6422015: $24,0142016: $24,7052017: $24,6262018: $26,0862019: $26,6422020: $25,1582021: $24,2682022: $23,2632023: $23,722
2013 · $22,8152023 · $23,722

Over the same years, enrollment went -47.9% (871 → 454 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

42.9%
Female
35.5%
First Generation

Outcomes

55.6%
Retention Rate
$39,303
Median Earnings (6yr)
64.7%
Earning Over $25K
65.5%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 33.6%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 55.6%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $39,303
Median earnings 10 years after entry $49,351
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 64.7%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 65.5%
Median federal student debt At completion $26,813
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $284/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 8 57 $46,218 $54,633 $27,000
Master's 2 25 $54,612 $54,612 -

Top programs at Defiance College 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
Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's 9 $54,633 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 19 $54,612 -
Social Work Bachelor's 7 $50,745 $27,000
Business/Commerce, General Bachelor's 13 $46,536 $27,000
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 13 $39,980 $27,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Bachelor's 4 $39,194 $27,000
Education, General Master's 6 - -
Special Education and Teaching Bachelor's 4 - $27,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Bachelor's 5 - -
Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's 2 - -

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Defiance College?
Defiance College is a private nonprofit institution in Defiance, Ohio. The acceptance rate is 47.5%. Undergraduate enrollment is 499 students.
How much do Defiance College former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Defiance College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $49,351 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $39,303.
How much does Defiance College cost?
The average net price at Defiance College is $26,337. In-state tuition is $29,320 and out-of-state tuition is $29,320. Median student debt at graduation is $26,813.
What is the graduation rate at Defiance College?
Defiance College has a 33.6% 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 55.6%.
Is Defiance College worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Defiance College is $26,813, while former students earn a median of $49,351 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 54% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 65.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $284.

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 Defiance College

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.