Head-to-head comparison
Belmont Abbey College vs Roanoke-Chowan Community College: which has better ROI?
Option A Belmont, NC
Belmont Abbey College
- Net price / year
- $24,639
- Earnings, 10 years
- $47,937
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Ahoskie, NC
Roanoke-Chowan Community College
- Net price / year
- $5,570
- Earnings, 10 years
- $29,324
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but Belmont Abbey College comes closer — median earnings $47,937 against a $98,556 total, vs $29,324 at Roanoke-Chowan Community College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | Belmont Abbey College | Roanoke-Chowan Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $24,639 | $5,570 |
| Total net cost | $98,556 | $11,140 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $47,937 | $29,324 |
| Median debt | $26,000 | — |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$107,016 | -$391,860 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, Belmont Abbey College or Roanoke-Chowan Community College?
Roanoke-Chowan Community College, at $5,570 a year after aid versus $24,639 — a gap of $19,069 a year, or $87,416 across the full degree. These are net prices after grants and scholarships, not sticker prices, so they reflect what an aided student pays.
The short answer
Do Belmont Abbey College or Roanoke-Chowan Community College graduates earn more?
Belmont Abbey College graduates report a median $47,937 ten years after entry, $18,613 more than the $29,324 at Roanoke-Chowan Community College. Both are institution-wide medians from federal tax records, so a high-paying major at the lower school can beat the average at the higher one.
The short answer
Which graduates more of its students?
47% of students finish at Belmont Abbey College, against 37% at Roanoke-Chowan Community College. Completion matters to the ROI arithmetic because a degree that is never finished still carries its cost and its debt, but earns none of the graduate premium above the $48,360 high-school baseline.