Ibex Insights
Ibex Insights
 Open dashboard

College Unbound

Providence, RI · official site ↗

Private nonprofitSpecial Focus: Arts, Music & DesignSmall
12
Fin. Resilience
Resilience score

vs. 16 peers in its group

College Unbound is a private nonprofit institution in Providence, RI, classified by Carnegie as “Special Focus: Arts, Music & Design.”

It enrolls about 491 undergraduates and is benchmarked here against 16 peer institutions (Special Focus: Arts, Music & Design · Private nonprofit).

On Ibex's Financial Resilience score it rates 12 out of 100 within that peer group, a transparent composite of endowment per undergraduate, net tuition revenue per student, and instructional spend per student.

Its strongest standing relative to peers is first-year retention (85.7%, 71st percentile).

Its weakest is net tuition revenue / fte ($7,103).

Peer group

Special Focus: Arts, Music & Design · Private nonprofit

16 institutions

No cross-metric risk flags triggered.
Policy & demographic exposure

How exposed College Unbound is to the structural shifts reshaping higher ed: a composite structural-risk index plus the 2025 federal budget law’s endowment excise tax and Grad PLUS elimination and the demographic enrollment cliff. Only signals that apply to this institution are shown.

Structural risk indexAn indicative 0–100 structural-risk index (higher = more pressure) blending operating margin, months of cash cushion, tuition dependency and the home-state enrollment cliff. Screens for the financial and demographic strain that precedes closures and mergers — directional, not a prediction.
80
High
Enrollment cliff (home state)Projected change in the institution's home-state high-school graduates from 2025 to 2041 (WICHE). The U.S. total falls about 13%; a directional feeder-market signal, not an enrollment forecast.
-17.8%
Steep decline

Indicative signals, not forecasts — see each metric’s definition and the methodology. Endowment-tax and Grad PLUS figures appear only where the institution is actually exposed; “nationally” compares against all schools that report each signal.

Turn these signals into action

Seeing exposure is step one. Ibex builds AI agents that monitor and act on exactly these pressures — explore an interactive demo. Live demos run real workflows; the rest are working mockups we build to your institution’s data.

Market Intelligence Agentlive demoAI Recruiter Agent
Financial Health Index
1.0
on a −4 to 10 scale
Financial Health IndexWatch

NACUBO Composite Financial Index — the balance-sheet health score accreditors and institutional boards use to gauge financial health; bond-rating agencies track similar ratios. 31st percentile of 16 peers. Carries little or no plant debt, so the viability ratio is excluded and weights re-normalized.

Primary reserve 55%1.2 mo
Return on net assets 30%3.9%
Operating result 15%0.1%

Composite of four ratios on a strength-factor scale (−4 weak → 10 strong): below 3 falls short of the threshold for financial health, below 1 signals acute stress, and above 6 is strong. Computed from IPEDS FY2022-23, the most recent finance release (it lags the current year by 2–3 years). Branch campuses that report finances at a parent/system level can show distorted ratios. For informational benchmarking, not a credit rating or financial advice.

Revenue composition
Where the money comes from $6.1M total revenue · IPEDS FY2022-23

Tuition & fees is the largest single source at 41% of revenue.

Tuition & fees41.4%
Private gifts & grants31.6%
Government grants & contracts26.9%
Investment return0.0%

Where each dollar of revenue comes from, as a share of total positive revenue. Sources are standardized across public (GASB) and private (FASB) reporting; a net investment loss in a down market is shown as 0% and excluded from the mix.

Net price by income
Average net price by family income After grant & scholarship aid · Scorecard 2024-25
$0–30K$20,682
$30–48K$20,586
$48–75K$21,991
$110K+$21,894

Average annual net price (total cost minus grant and scholarship aid) paid by federal-aid recipients in each family-income band. Lower-income bands often pay less where need-based aid is strong.

Financial Health
Net tuition revenue / FTETuition revenue per full-time-equivalent student after institutional aid/discounts — what tuition actually nets.
Below peers
$7,103
6th percentile in peer grouppeer median $17,284
Instructional spend / FTESpending on instruction per FTE student — how much of the budget reaches the classroom.
Below peers
$7,703
19th percentile in peer grouppeer median $18,753
In-state tuition & feesPublished in-state tuition and fees before aid (sticker price).
$11,016
25th percentile in peer grouppeer median $15,960
Out-of-state tuition & feesPublished out-of-state tuition and fees before aid (sticker price).
$11,016
25th percentile in peer grouppeer median $15,960
Avg annual cost of attendanceAverage total annual cost — tuition, fees and living costs — before aid.
$27,138
25th percentile in peer grouppeer median $30,928
Average net priceAverage yearly price families actually pay after grants and scholarships.
Average
$21,108
62nd percentile in peer grouppeer median $20,536
Operating marginNet surplus as a share of total revenue — whether the institution runs in the black.
Deficit
-7.4%
29th percentile in peer grouppeer median 6.2%
Net surplus as a share of total revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23): (total revenues − total expenses) ÷ total revenues. A surplus above 4% is strong; a thin surplus near 0% leaves little margin for shocks.
Tuition dependencyTuition's share of total revenue — how exposed the budget is to enrollment swings.
41.4%
43rd percentile in peer grouppeer median 48.5%
Tuition & fees as a share of total revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23). Higher = more exposed to enrollment swings.
Tuition discount rateInstitutional grant aid as a share of gross tuition (IPEDS, private nonprofits only) — the tuition-discount rate. The share of sticker tuition handed back as aid; a high rate (the national average is ~56%) signals heavy price competition for students.
Moderate
12.7%
56th percentile in peer grouppeer median 12.4%
Institutional grant aid as a share of gross tuition & fee revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23, FASB): allowances applied to tuition ÷ (net tuition revenue + those allowances) — the tuition-discount rate enrollment leaders track, i.e. the share of sticker tuition handed back as institutional aid. Private nonprofit institutions only; public (GASB) institutions report tuition differently and are not shown. The national private-college average is roughly 56% (NACUBO); above ~60% signals heavy price competition.
State appropriations shareState appropriations' share of total revenue — material for public institutions, near zero for private.
0%
100th percentile in peer grouppeer median 0%
State appropriations as a share of total revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23). Material for public institutions; ~0 for private.
Administrative cost shareInstitutional support (central administration, governance, general administration, fundraising, and under FASB the operation & maintenance of plant) as a share of total expenses — private nonprofit (FASB) institutions only, where the figure is comparable. An informational gauge of administrative intensity, not a measure of waste.
33.8%
69th percentile in peer grouppeer median 27.7%
Institutional support — central administration, executive management, governance, general administration, fundraising and (under FASB rules) operation & maintenance of plant — as a share of total expenses (IPEDS FY2022-23, FASB). Private nonprofit institutions only: public (GASB) institutions report functional expenses on a different basis and frequently consolidate large hospital and auxiliary operations, which makes a comparable ratio unreliable, so they are not shown. Because FASB folds plant operations into institutional support, this runs higher than a narrow 'central-office' figure, and schools with sizable hospital or auxiliary operations show a lower ratio as those costs enlarge total expenses. An informational benchmark of administrative intensity, compared within the peer group — not a measure of waste or quality.
Months of operating cushionMonths of operating expenses covered by expendable reserves — the institution's cash cushion.
Thin
1.2 mo
38th percentile in peer grouppeer median 8.7 mo
How many months of operating expenses the institution could cover from expendable reserves (IPEDS FY2022-23 primary reserve ratio × 12). About 5 months — one semester — is the accreditor benchmark for solid footing; below ~3 months is thin. A negative figure means expendable reserves are themselves negative.
Return on net assetsChange in net assets over the year — whether the institution grew wealthier.
Adequate
3.9%
46th percentile in peer grouppeer median 4.2%
Change in total net assets ÷ net assets (IPEDS FY2022-23) — whether the institution grew wealthier over the year. 2–4% is adequate; above 4% is strong.
Structural risk indexAn indicative 0–100 structural-risk index (higher = more pressure) blending operating margin, months of cash cushion, tuition dependency and the home-state enrollment cliff. Screens for the financial and demographic strain that precedes closures and mergers — directional, not a prediction.
High
80
— percentile in peer group
An indicative 0–100 structural-risk index (higher = more pressure), an equal-weight blend of the stress signals we measure: thin or negative operating margin, low months of operating cushion, high tuition dependency, and a shrinking home-state high-school-graduate pipeline (enrollment cliff). Averaged over whichever signals are available (at least two required). It screens for the financial and demographic pressures that precede closures and mergers — a directional indicator, NOT a prediction that any institution will close, and not a credit rating.
Graduation & completion
Graduation rate · first-time, full-time
—

Not reported — this institution has no first-time, full-time bachelor's-degree cohort, so the graduation rate does not apply. See the all-students completion rate.

Completion rate · all students
66.7%

66.7% earned a degree or certificate within 8 years (IPEDS Outcome Measures)
The broader cohort — also counts part-time entrants and transfer-ins, and any credential. More inclusive, so it can run higher than the graduation rate.

Why two numbers? They measure different students over different windows, so they are not directly comparable. The graduation rate is the standard federal headline but tracks only first-time, full-time students through a bachelor's; the all-students completion rate adds the part-time and transfer students it leaves out, over a longer window. Read each for what it covers. Source: U.S. Department of Education — IPEDS Graduation Rates & Outcome Measures, via College Scorecard.

Enrollment & Pipeline
Undergraduate enrollmentNumber of degree-seeking undergraduates (IPEDS fall headcount). A size measure, not a quality signal.
491
75th percentile in peer grouppeer median 275
First-year retentionShare of first-time, full-time freshmen who return for a second year — an early signal of student fit and support.
Strong
85.7%
71st percentile in peer grouppeer median 84.7%
Pell recipient shareShare of undergraduates on a federal Pell Grant — a proxy for the share from lower-income families.
68.6%
75th percentile in peer grouppeer median 35.8%
12-month FTE enrollmentFull-time-equivalent enrollment over the full year — the denominator for per-student finance measures.
181
69th percentile in peer grouppeer median 132
Full-time-equivalent enrollment over the full 12-month year (IPEDS 12-month enrollment, 2022-23). Counts part-time students at their fractional load, so it runs above fall full-time headcount and is the denominator used for per-student finance measures.
Student-faculty ratioStudents per instructional faculty member — lower usually means smaller classes and more contact.
7:1
25th percentile in peer grouppeer median 10:1
Students per instructional faculty member (IPEDS, fall 2023). Lower generally means smaller classes and more faculty contact, though the measure mixes undergraduate and graduate teaching and is institution-reported.
Enrollment cliff (home state)Projected change in the institution's home-state high-school graduates from 2025 to 2041 (WICHE). The U.S. total falls about 13%; a directional feeder-market signal, not an enrollment forecast.
Steep decline
-17.8%
— percentile in peer group
Projected change in the number of high-school graduates in the institution's HOME STATE from the class of 2025 (the national peak) to 2041, per WICHE's Knocking at the College Door, 11th Edition (Dec 2024). The 'enrollment cliff' is the post-2008 birth decline reaching college age; the U.S. total is projected to fall about 13% over this window. A college recruits from many states, so its home-state projection is an indicative directional signal of feeder-market pressure, not a forecast of that institution's own enrollment.
Completion rate (all students · 8-yr)Of ALL entering degree-seeking undergraduates — full- and part-time, first-time and transfer-in — the share who earned a degree or certificate at this institution within eight years (IPEDS Outcome Measures). Broader than the graduation rate, which counts only first-time, full-time students, so the two are measured on different students and are not directly comparable.
66.7%
— percentile in peer group
Share of ALL entering degree-seeking undergraduates — full- and part-time, first-time and transfer-in — who earned a degree or certificate at this institution within eight years (IPEDS Outcome Measures, via College Scorecard). Broader and more inclusive than the graduation-rate figures, which count only first-time, full-time students entering a bachelor's program — so the two are measured on different groups of students and are not directly comparable.
Student body
Undergraduate race & ethnicity IPEDS 2024-25
Black35.4%
Hispanic/Latino32.4%
White13.7%
Unknown10.6%
Two or more races5.3%
American Indian/Alaska Native1.4%
Asian1.2%

Undergraduate enrollment by race and ethnicity, as reported to IPEDS (College Scorecard). “International” denotes nonresident students; “Unknown” means race/ethnicity was not reported.

Student Outcomes & Risk
Median debt at graduationMedian federal loan debt graduates carry at the point they complete.
Average
$12,500
60th percentile in peer grouppeer median $12,500
Share taking federal loansShare of students taking out federal loans — a borrowing-reliance signal.
65.1%
75th percentile in peer grouppeer median 54.7%
Top fields of study (bachelor's)

College Unbound’s largest fields by completions, with graduate earnings (4 years out) and debt benchmarked against the same field at its peer group. Sparklines show the 8-year completions trend.

FieldCompletions / yrMedian earnings, 4 yrs outMedian debtEarnings premiumRisk score
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies31———Low · 0

Earnings-premium status is an indicative estimate: median graduate earnings four years out vs the RI state median earnings of a high-school graduate (undergraduate credentials) or a bachelor’s-degree holder (graduate credentials) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2022 ACS 5-year). The official U.S. Department of Education determination uses its own cohort definition and may differ.

The risk score (0–100) is an indicative blend of earnings-premium margin and the five-year completions trend—higher means a field pays closer to (or below) the benchmark and is shrinking. A directional screen, not an official determination.

See the interactive dashboard for all fields and credential levels (associate through doctoral). Source: College Scorecard Field of Study.

Frequently asked
How financially healthy is College Unbound?
On the NACUBO Composite Financial Index — the −4 to 10 balance-sheet score accreditors and institutional boards use — College Unbound scores 1.0 (Watch), computed from its IPEDS FY2022-23 finances. This is informational benchmarking, not a credit rating.
What is College Unbound's student-faculty ratio?
College Unbound reports a student-faculty ratio of 7:1 (IPEDS, fall 2023) — that is, about 7 students for every instructional faculty member.
How much does College Unbound cost?
The average published cost of attendance is $27,138 and the average net price after aid is $21,108 (College Scorecard).
Which schools are College Unbound's peers?
College Unbound is benchmarked against 16 institutions in the Special Focus: Arts, Music & Design · Private nonprofit peer group; all percentiles and medians on this page are computed within that group.
Compare with peers
University of Fort LauderdaleMartin Luther CollegeSouthern California Institute of ArchitectureUnited States Sports UniversityAmerican College of the Building ArtsVanderCook College of Music

Explore College Unbound interactively

Open the full dashboard to switch peer views, hover trends, and compare head-to-head.

Open in dashboard

Want a custom dashboard for College Unbound?

We build tailored intelligence dashboards — College Unbound and the peer set you choose, the metrics and risk signals your team cares about, kept current and delivered to you. Tell us what you’d want to track and a specialist will scope it with you.

Request a custom dashboard

Source: U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent releases), with the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Employment Projections, field-demand outlook) and WICHE (enrollment-cliff projections). Figures lag the current academic year by roughly two to three years. Percentiles and medians are computed within the institution's peer group. Financial Resilience is a transparent composite — see each component above. Compiled by Ibex Insights.