Paine College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Augusta, Georgia. It enrolls 388 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorTransnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Fair
47/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes3
Value20
Affordability82
Selectivity9
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 95.4%, Paine College is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
95.4%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Paine College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
18.4 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Paine College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $16,670 per year. That's below the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$16,670
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
76%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
76%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$14,596
Room & Board (on-campus)
$7,512
Room & Board (off-campus)
$7,512
Books & Supplies
$2,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,024
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,024
Total Cost of Attendance
$27,431
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$15,322
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,959
$48,001 – $75,000
$17,233
$75,001 – $110,000
$23,604
Over $110,000
$20,388
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$7,50025%percentile
$29,75075%percentile
$45,50090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $11,000
—
No Pell $10,750
—
Dependent students $11,000
—
Independent students $16,559
—
Female students $11,000
—
Male students $12,000
—
What this means:
Aid reaches the majority of students: 76% receive Pell grants. If your family qualifies for Pell, the actual cost to you is likely far below the average.
Graduation Rate & Retention
14% of full-time students who enrolled at Paine College graduate within six years, and 54% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
14%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
54%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Paine College earn a median of $33,338 ten years after first enrolling. That's below the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$33,338
Earning > $25K
55%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$29,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$30,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
12.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Concerning. Only 33% of graduates are actively reducing principal even seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Paine College is home to 388 students, an intimate, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 38% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
388
Part-Time
9%
First-Generation
38%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Black 95.1%369
Hispanic 4.9%19
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Paine College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityAugusta, Georgia
Housing
Strongly residential296 beds for 388 students
Adult Learners
15%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Historically Black College / University (HBCU)
Designation
Religiously affiliated
What You Can Study
Paine College offers
a focused set of programs:
6 distinct programs across
6 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Paine College is 11:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$17M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$30,534
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
22 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
2
9%
$32,833
Associate Professors
3
14%
$37,837
Assistant Professors
11
50%
$29,902
Instructors
6
27%
$27,274
Pros & Cons of Paine College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Paine College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Most students take on federal loans
Best for:
Based on the data, Paine College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Paine College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Paine College.
Is Paine College hard to get into?
Paine College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 95.4%.
What is the acceptance rate at Paine College?
Paine College has an acceptance rate of 95.4%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Paine College cost?
The average net price after aid at Paine College is $16,670 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Paine College worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $33,338 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $16,670 per year. That's roughly 2.0x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Paine College known for?
Paine College is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Paine College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Paine College are $33,338, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Paine College accredited?
Yes. Paine College is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
How many students attend Paine College?
Paine College enrolls 388 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Paine College?
Paine College graduates 14% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Paine College a public or private college?
Paine College is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Paine College located?
Paine College is located in Augusta, Georgia.
What programs does Paine College offer?
Paine College offers 6 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Paine College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Paine College is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Georgia
Other colleges in Georgia share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Experimental Psychology
Public Health
Business Administration
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.