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Lyon College

Private nonprofit Batesville, AR · Town · Southeast · 100% data
A+ Diversity B Selectivity C+ Earnings
Graduation Rate
51% C-
About half of students who start complete their degree
Earnings (10yr)
$44,232 C+
Roughly in line with national averages
Net Price
$19,616 C-
Close to the national average
Acceptance Rate
63% B
Accessible to most qualified applicants
Earnings +8% vs avg
Graduation -11% vs avg
Net Price 14% vs avg

Bottom line: A C+ overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 13.7× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $13.7 over 20 years.

13.7× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $13.7 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $997,008.

What The Data Says

  1. A C+ overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Every $1 invested returns $13.7 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Lyon College Matters

Lyon College is a private liberal arts college in Batesville, AR and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: measurable returns for the students it serves.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private Liberal Arts College
Carnegie Class
Baccalaureate · Arts & Sciences
Enrollment
648
Setting
Town
Designations
66
Primary Strengths
Business & Marketing, Biology & Biomedical, Psychology, Social Sciences

Why students choose Lyon College

Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Close mentorship
A small, undergraduate-focused community
Strength in Business & Marketing
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C+
Top 44% overall
C+
Earnings
$44,232 median
C-
Value
2.3× net price
C-
Affordability
$19,616/yr net
C-
Graduation
51% graduate
B
Selectivity
63% admit rate
A+
Diversity
0.87 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Lyon College has an enrollment of just 648 students, offering a tight-knit community for those seeking a personalized college experience. With a 63% acceptance rate, the college welcomes a diverse group of students to its Arkansas campus.

The 10-year earnings for Lyon graduates average $44,232, indicating a solid return on investment for students. While the graduation rate stands at 51%, it's essential to note the college's commitment to student success and support services, particularly for low-income students, as evidenced by a 41% Pell Grant rate.

The net price to attend Lyon College is $19,616, with median student debt at $21,500. Graduates in fields like Biology, Business, and Computer Science typically thrive here, benefiting from a focused curriculum and the college's supportive environment. Students who value close faculty interaction and a community-oriented atmosphere will find Lyon a fitting choice.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Lyon College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Lyon College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Lyon College, located in Batesville, Arkansas, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 63% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with a mid-range ACT score around 24. The graduation rate is roughly 51%.

Acceptance Rate
63%
Retention Rate
71%
ACT Midpoint
24
Full-Time Faculty
80%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$6,336
Student–Faculty Ratio
9:1
Diversity Index
0.87
First-Gen Students
30%
Applicants
1,382
Admitted
827

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Lyon College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Lyon College is $31,000, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,616. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $16,084 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $21,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$31,000
Out-of-State
$31,000
Avg Net Price
$19,616
Median Debt
$21,500
Pell Grant Rate
41%
Federal Loan Rate
64%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$16,084
Family Income $30K–$48K
$16,695
Family Income $48K–$75K
$17,348
Family Income $110K+
$23,391

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Lyon College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Lyon College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Lyon College report median earnings of $44,232, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$37,629
8 Years
$42,733
10 Years
$44,232
Debt-to-Earnings
0.49x
Earning > $25K
62%

Earnings Trajectory

$37,629 6yr $42,733 8yr $44,232 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (93)
37%
100% (93)
37%
100% (93)
37%
100% (93)
37%

How Lyon Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation51%Earnings 10yr$44KNet Price$20KRetention71%Median Debt$22KPell Grant Rate41%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$16K$0-30K$17K$30-48K$17K$48-75K$23K$110K+

College ROI Calculator

Is Lyon College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Lyon College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $19,616/year ($78,464 total). Graduates earn $44,232 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,075,472 in total earnings — a net gain of $997,008 (13.7× your investment). The median debt is $21,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 51% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$78,464
Projected 20yr Earnings
$1,075,472
Net Return
$997,008
ROI Multiple
13.7×
Cost Per Year
$19,616
Median Debt
$21,500
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
51%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Lyon College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Lyon College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.44, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.44
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
-0.04
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
7.4%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants
$6,253,069
Investment Income
$3,761,039

Top Programs

The fields Lyon College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Lyon College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Lyon College, located in Batesville, Arkansas, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 63% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with a mid-range ACT score around 24. The graduation rate is roughly 51%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Lyon College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Lyon College is $31,000, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,616. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $16,084 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $21,500 in federal student loans.

Is Lyon College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Lyon College report median earnings of $44,232, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

How Connected Is Lyon College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Lyon College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.44, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

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Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Lyon College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

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