Nelson University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Nelson University

Nelson University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Waxahachie, Texas (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 1,479 students of which 1,720 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. Nelson University is categorized as “20” 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 89.0%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 980 and an ACT midpoint of 20. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $21,662, with published in-state tuition of $25,064 and a Pell grant recipient share of 47.8%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $24,725, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 38.6%, and the first-year retention rate is 75.2%. Graduates earn a median of $46,238 ten years after enrolling, compared with $37,425 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 113700.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 55.4% 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.