Brenau University vs Covenant College

Metric	Brenau University	Covenant College
Undergraduate enrollment	1,029	939
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	87.8%	86.5%
Average SAT	1,079	1,294
Median ACT	23	26
In-state tuition	$34,027	$42,040
Out-of-state tuition	$34,027	$42,040
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$18,924	$26,265
Median debt at graduation	$27,000	$22,500
Graduation rate	32.9%	71.5%
First-year retention	65.0%	88.2%
Median salary (10 yr)	$54,003	$50,412

Metric

Brenau University

Covenant College

Undergraduate enrollment

1,029

939

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

87.8%

86.5%

Average SAT

1,079

1,294

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$34,027

$42,040

Out-of-state tuition

$34,027

$42,040

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$18,924

$26,265

Median debt at graduation

$27,000

$22,500

Graduation rate

32.9%

71.5%

First-year retention

65.0%

88.2%

Median salary (10 yr)

$54,003

$50,412

What the numbers say

Covenant College is the harder admit at 86.5%, against 87.8% at Brenau University.
Brenau University costs less after aid — $18,924 a year versus $26,265, a difference of $7,341 annually, or roughly $29,364 across four years.
Brenau University graduates report higher median earnings — $54,003 against $50,412 ten years after entry.
Covenant College graduates a larger share of its students — 71.5% versus 32.9%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Brenau University comes out ahead at 2.9× versus 1.9×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Brenau University and Covenant College run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.