Private Nonprofit · Brownwood, Texas

Howard Payne University

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

$48,376
10-yr median earnings
67.4%
Acceptance rate
$23,627
Avg net price / yr
29.5%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Howard Payne University pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.

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

Top 32%
former-student earnings, US
67.4%
acceptance rate
29.5%
150%-time completion
+27%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Remote Carnegie: Bacc: Diverse
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Howard Payne 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 ("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
34/100
Howard Payne 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 B-
$48,376
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$23,627
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
29.5%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$26,793
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
77.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
51.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Howard Payne 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

$48,376

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$23,627

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

29.5%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 29.5%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Howard Payne University vs peers

Howard Payne 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 6 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Howard Payne University positioned by earnin… Carnegie Classification: Bacc: Diverse Bacc: Dive… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $25K $51K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $31K Avg Net Price ($) Howard Payne University (you are here): $48K earn · $24K net · 30% grad You are here - Howard Payne Unive… Wiley University: $33K earn · $7K net · 22% grad Wiley University Hallmark University: $40K earn · $13K net · 67% grad Hallmark University Paul Quinn College: $29K earn · $13K net · 33% grad Paul Quinn College Texas College: $34K earn · $11K net · 12% grad Texas College Parker University: $42K earn · $29K net · 73% grad Parker University 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 Howard Payne 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.

Howard Payne University: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$48,376 Top 32% higher than 68% 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 Howard Payne University National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $48,376 #1613 of 5103 68th
Average net price $23,627 #3743 of 5020 25th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 29.5% #4313 of 4858 11th
Undergraduate enrollment 713 #2523 of 5462 54th

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

Quick Facts

713
Undergraduate enrollment
67.4%
Acceptance rate
1,026
SAT average
29.5%
150%-time completion
$48,376
10-yr median earnings
51.7%
First-year retention

How Howard Payne University ranks in Texas

State rank among 324 reporting Texas colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Howard Payne University State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $48,376 #87 of 324 73rd
Average net price $23,627 #256 of 340 25th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 29.5% #279 of 324 14th
Undergraduate enrollment 713 #151 of 366 59th

Highest former-student earnings in Texas

Admissions

Admission Rate 67.4%
SAT Average 1,026
SAT Math (25th-75th) 440 – 550
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 440 – 610
ACT (25th-75th) 16 – 27
0%100%67.4%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Howard Payne 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 Howard Payne 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 $34,982
Out-of-State Tuition $34,982
Average Net Price $23,627
44.3%
Pell Grant Rate
69.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$26,793
Median Debt
$284/mo
Monthly Payment

What students pay at Howard Payne University rose +42.9% since 2013

Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $17,678 in 2013 to $25,255 in 2023, a rise of $7,577 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.

Average net price, 2013–2023

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

2013: $17,6782014: $18,2452015: $18,0612016: $19,5472017: $22,1372018: $22,3712019: $22,1782020: $23,4042021: $23,3102022: $21,4262023: $25,255
2013 · $17,6782023 · $25,255

Over the same years, enrollment went -32.4% (1,059 → 716 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

39.1%
Female
37.4%
First Generation

Outcomes

51.7%
Retention Rate
$38,212
Median Earnings (6yr)
62.0%
Earning Over $25K
77.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 29.5%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 51.7%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $38,212
Median earnings 10 years after entry $48,376
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 62.0%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 77.9%
Median federal student debt At completion $26,793
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 6 56 $55,448 $56,101 $23,734
Master's 1 14 - - $17,000

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Bachelor's 12 $56,101 $24,467
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 14 $54,795 $23,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Bachelor's 10 - -
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 9 - -
Psychology, General Bachelor's 2 - -
Criminology Bachelor's 9 - -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 14 - $17,000

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Howard Payne University?
Howard Payne University is a private nonprofit institution in Brownwood, Texas. The acceptance rate is 67.4%. The average SAT score is 1,026. Undergraduate enrollment is 713 students.
How much do Howard Payne University former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Howard Payne University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $48,376 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,212.
How much does Howard Payne University cost?
The average net price at Howard Payne University is $23,627. In-state tuition is $34,982 and out-of-state tuition is $34,982. Median student debt at graduation is $26,793.
What is the graduation rate at Howard Payne University?
Howard Payne University has a 29.5% 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 51.7%.
Is Howard Payne University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Howard Payne University is $26,793, while former students earn a median of $48,376 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 55% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 77.9% 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 Howard Payne 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.