---
title: Cornerstone University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Grand Rapids, MI
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Cornerstone University

Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $47,314 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $28,589 – $66,987 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $18,634 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $10,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 62% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $42,043 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 62% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.39× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $19,314 | derived |

**62% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $18,634 (≈ 39% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $26,632 to $49,408 across 14 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies. | Master's Degree | $49,408 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $48,236 | $34,635 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,545 | $25,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,175 | $27,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,970 | $20,616 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,833 | $28,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,145 | $24,625 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,124 | $25,957 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,464 | not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $32,172 | $45,100 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,601 | $25,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,707 | $21,500 |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,609 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,632 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Cornerstone University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?170037

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/cornerstone-university-mi.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`