Franklin University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)

Franklin University charged $9,577 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, and its average net price was $25,243 for 2023-24, according to College Scorecard’s June 2026 data. 49% of students who started in 2016-17 earned a credential within eight years.

Franklin is a private nonprofit in Columbus, OH, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). 93% of its undergraduates studied fully online in fall 2024, and 73% were 25 or older in fall 2023.

Franklin is a private nonprofit, mostly online university accredited by HLC

Fact	Franklin
Control	Private nonprofit
Accreditor	Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Location	Columbus, OH
Undergraduates studying fully online (fall 2024)	93%
Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024)	5,562
Graduate students (fall 2024)	3,269
Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023)	73%
Admission rate (fall 2024)	Not reported
Federal school ID (UNITID)	202806

Franklin tuition is $9,577 a year, and the average net price is $25,243

Scorecard lists $9,577 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, the same for in-state and out-of-state students.

Net price is the full cost of attendance, including housing and living costs, minus grants and scholarships. Scorecard’s average covers full-time, first-time undergraduates who got federal aid in 2023-24: 46 students at Franklin.

Family income	Average net price, 2023-24
$0 to $30,000	$24,968
$30,001 to $48,000	$25,876
$48,001 to $75,000	$24,690
$75,001 to $110,000	$25,389
$110,001 and up	$29,964

The average sits between $24,690 and $25,876 for incomes up to $110,000, then rises to $29,964 above that.

For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 a year to eligible undergraduates, and your own net price depends on your income, family size and state. The aid check stacks Pell, state grants, campus aid and federal loan limits for your numbers in about two minutes, and shows the result before it asks for an email.

49% of Franklin students earn a credential within eight years

Measure	Franklin
Earned a credential within 8 years (all students who started in 2016-17)	49%
Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time students only)	21%
Median earnings 6 years after starting	$49,189
Median earnings 10 years after starting	$51,892
Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing	$68,805
Graduates’ median federal loan debt	$20,836
Undergraduates with a Pell Grant (2023-24)	37%
Undergraduates with a federal loan (2023-24)	41%

The two graduation rates point in opposite directions. Only 21% of first-time, full-time students graduated within six years, but 49% of all 2016-17 starters, including part-time and transfer students, earned an award within eight.

These are school-wide medians. Your payoff depends on the program, the job you target and what you pay.

Business and accounting produce most Franklin graduates

These are Franklin’s five largest fields by graduates in 2022-23, from Scorecard’s field-of-study file. All five are offered fully online.

Field and credential	Graduates, 2022-23	Median earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)	463	$68,306	$23,053
Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)	237	$90,981	$34,168
Accounting and Related Services (bachelor's)	152	$65,816	$19,792
Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's)	149	$58,747	$26,767
Social Sciences, General (bachelor's)	100	Not published	Not published

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 463

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $68,306

Median federal debt $23,053

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 237

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $90,981

Median federal debt $34,168

Field and credential Accounting and Related Services (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 152

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $65,816

Median federal debt $19,792

Field and credential Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 149

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $58,747

Median federal debt $26,767

Field and credential Social Sciences, General (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 100

Median earnings, 4 yrs after Not published

Median federal debt Not published

Field names are the federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) categories Scorecard uses, not Franklin’s program titles. Earnings are medians for graduates who got federal aid, four years after finishing, and debt is their median federal loan balance.

Who Franklin fits, and the watch-outs

It fits if

• You are a working adult. 73% of undergraduates were 25 or older in fall 2023, and 60% studied part-time in fall 2024.
• You are transferring in credits. 49% of all 2016-17 starters earned an award within eight years, against 21% of first-time, full-time students.
• You want business or accounting. The business bachelor’s had 463 graduates in 2022-23, with median earnings of $68,306 four years after finishing.

Watch-outs

• Half do not finish. 51% of students who started in 2016-17 had no Franklin credential eight years later.
• Graduates borrow. 41% of undergraduates took a federal loan in 2023-24, and graduates owe a median $20,836.
• Thin cost data. The federal net price average covers 46 students, so ask Franklin for a written estimate.

Check your own aid before you apply to Franklin

Franklin’s averages describe what other students paid. The aid check applies the 2026-27 federal rules to your income and family, takes about two minutes, and shows the result before any email or school contact.

To compare on the same measures, see Western Governors University (52% eight-year rate, $11,116 median debt) or Southern New Hampshire University (35%, $21,082).

Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional and comes after you see your aid result. The figures here come from federal data, and this profile does not rank schools.