Nelson University
Waxahachie, Texas · Also known as SAGU · Website
$46,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$46,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Nelson University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Waxahachie, Texas with 1,479 undergraduates and 315 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $21,662 a year (tuition and fees $25,064). It admits 89% of applicants and 42% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $46,238 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,725 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$21,662
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$25,064
US median $11,837
Admission rate
89%
US median 78%
Completion rate
42%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,725
About $262 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$46,238
Rank 1,853 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $21,662
- Tuition and fees
- $25,064
- Cost of attendance
- $34,504
- Students with a need-based grant
- 48%
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $17,583
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,396
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $21,731
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,883
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,474
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $19,180 in 2015-16 to $25,064 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 89%
- Average SAT
- 980
- SAT reading, middle
- 505
- SAT math, middle
- 485
- ACT, middle
- 20
- Undergraduates
- 1,479
- Graduate students
- 315
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 49%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 42%
- Retention rate
- 75%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 71
- Endowment
- $15.5M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,853 of 5,094 US colleges and 92 of 324 in Texas (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TX median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $21,662 | $18,447 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $25,064 | $9,940 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 89% | 84% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 42% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 75% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,725 | $10,667 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $37,425 | $32,765 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $46,238 | $38,474 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 53% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 64% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
71 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion/Religious StudiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 111 | $25,066 | $31,593 | $46,892 | $46,769 |
| Bible/Biblical StudiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 65 | $26,500 | $34,645 | $45,704 | $41,884 |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized MinistriesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $24,750 | $30,910 | $39,707 | $42,915 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $25,000 | $34,800 | $47,277 | $53,072 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $26,000 | $35,482 | $52,229 | $68,257 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 22 | $25,553 | $49,631 | $62,264 | $103,485 |
| Bible/Biblical StudiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $29,618 | $33,918 | $43,808 | $44,533 |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,125 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 12 | $51,686 | $47,762 | $53,150 | $61,300 |
| Bible/Biblical StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,028 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,523 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 9 | Withheld | $38,169 | $55,000 | $65,184 |
| Social WorkOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,790 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | $28,000 | $32,751 | $53,275 | $48,733 |
| MarketingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | $66,477 | $69,303 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | $35,708 | $43,110 | $55,378 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,765 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | $54,750 | $39,288 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Waxahachie and Texas on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Texas
- Homes: Homes for sale in Texas
Questions and answers
How much does Nelson University cost?
$21,662 a year is the average net price at Nelson University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $25,064, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $34,504. Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,583 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Nelson University?
89% of applicants are admitted to Nelson University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 980 and the middle ACT score is 20. The median admission rate of colleges in Texas is 84%.
How much do Nelson University graduates earn?
$46,238 a year is the median pay of former Nelson University students who work, 10 years after they started ($37,425 after 6 years). That ranks 1,853 of 5,094 US colleges and 92 of 324 in Texas. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $49,631.
How much student debt do Nelson University graduates have?
$24,725 is the median federal student loan debt of Nelson University graduates, about $262 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 61% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Nelson University?
42% of first-time, full-time students at Nelson University finish within 6 years. 75% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Nelson University?
Religion/Religious Studies (111 associate's graduates), Bible/Biblical Studies (65 associate's graduates), Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (57 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 71 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.