Private nonprofit · Community college

Word of Life Bible Institute

Pottersville, New York · Distant rural

0%
Transfer rate: $14,516
Avg net price: 80%
Grad / completion: $36,173
Median earnings

Word of Life Bible Institute is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Pottersville, New York (distant rural setting), enrolling 489 undergraduates. It has a Interdenominational religious affiliation. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private nonprofitSmall · 489 undergradsDistant ruralUSCAACold wintersSnowy

About Pottersville, New York

Pottersville is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Chester, Warren County, New York, United States. Pottersville was founded on March 25, 1799, as a part of the Town of Chester, Warren County. The town was mainly agricultural; most families owned livestock, such as sheep, for access to clothing material. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant rural
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 59 miles to Burlington, VT
To the ocean: 98 miles
Nearest airport: 45 miles to Rutland - Southern Vermont (RUT)

How Word of Life Bible Institute compares

Graduation rate80%

Higher than 77% · #60 of 185 in New York

First-year retention82%

Higher than 67%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,173

Higher than 53% · #105 of 148 in New York

Average net price$14,516

Cheaper than 52% · #72 cheapest of 175 in New York

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 21%

Undergraduate enrollment489

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Word of Life Bible Institute with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New York.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women25853%
Men23147%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White69%
Black3.1%
Hispanic9.4%
Asian2.0%
Other or multiracial16%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 489
Student–faculty ratio: 22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 45%
First-generation students: 23%
Students over 25: 3%
Median family income: $46,013

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $11,500
Room & board: $10,800
Books & supplies: $1,500
Total cost of attendance: $22,600
Average net price: $14,516

Outcomes

Graduated: 80%
First-year retention: 82%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,575
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,173
Median debt at graduation: $12,000
Students with federal loans: 43%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 65%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

80%

Low-income (Pell)

31%

First-generation

26%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 796
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 100%+
Application fee: $10
Athletics: USCAA
Varsity athletes: 84 (44 men · 40 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Soccer38

Basketball22

Cross Country14

Volleyball10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$12,632

$30–48k

$12,966

$48–75k

$14,683

$75–110k

$16,486

$110k+

$17,626

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$5,992

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 99% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,992. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 320 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $36,173
Typical debt at graduation: $12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 33%
Out-earn a HS grad: 39%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$26,086

Men

$44,841

Men out-earn women by $18,755 (72%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 75°F
Winter low: 6°F
Annual rain: 43.5″
Annual snow: 101.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Indian Lake 2SW, NY US station (23.2 mi from campus).

What Word of Life Bible Institute graduates study — and earn

Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology

406 grads$21k 1 yr$33k 5 yr$12k debt

406$20,638$32,879$12,000

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Word of Life Bible Institute

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Word of Life Bible Institute side by side →

Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo

Private

Buffalo, New York · Large city · < 1 mi to Buffalo

Students: 743
Tuition: $19k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $33k

Bryant & Stratton College-Greece

Private

Rochester, New York · Large suburb · 7 mi to Rochester

Students: 363
Tuition: $20k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $33k

Bryant & Stratton College-Albany

Private

Albany, New York · Large suburb · 4 mi to Albany

Students: 240
Tuition: $18k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $33k

Apex Technical School

Private

Long Island City, New York · Large city · 4 mi to New York

Students: 1,400
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $41k

EDP School

Private

Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 9 mi to New York

Students: 151
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $41k

Gemological Institute of America-New York

Private

New York, New York · Large city · 3 mi to New York

Students: 160
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $43k

Colleges near Word of Life Bible Institute

Davis College

Pottersville, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 106 students

< 1 mi

SUNY Adirondack

Queensbury, NY · Public · Associate · 1,844 students

27 mi

Washington Saratoga Warren Hamilton Essex BOCES-Practical Nursing Program

Hudson Falls, NY · Public · Certificate · 35 students

30 mi

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,738 students

37 mi

North Country Community College

Saranac Lake, NY · Public · Associate · 819 students

43 mi

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,694 students

44 mi

Empire State University

Saratoga Springs, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 7,585 students

45 mi

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Paul Smiths, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 579 students

53 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.