Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Southwest Baptist University

Students comparing Southwest Baptist University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Bolivar, Missouri1,341 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 50Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Southwest Baptist University: U.S. News ranks it #122 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #657 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #879 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,341 undergraduates, admits 68.4% of applicants, and posts a 55.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $30,566; aid recipients pay $21,677 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,112.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
68.4%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$21,677

46% below the $40,342 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$43,112

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
55.3%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,957

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
810–1210

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Southwest Baptist ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#122of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#657of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#879of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Southwest Baptist's position moves 40 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Southwest Baptist

Southwest Baptist University is a private nonprofit institution in Bolivar, Missouri. Federal data show 64.8% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $21,677 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $40,342 sticker cost against $21,677 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Southwest Baptist University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$30,566

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
36.3%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$9,776

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $40,342 a year, but the average family pays $21,677 — a 46% difference. 36.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Southwest Baptist's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    64.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,341

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Southwest Baptist: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $30,566 and on-campus room and board is $9,776, for a published total of $40,342 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $21,677.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 68.4%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Bluffton University

    Bluffton, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bluffton University: U.S. News ranks it #29 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1215 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1028 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 582 undergraduates, admits 67.2% of applicants, and posts a 52.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $37,362; aid recipients pay $19,943 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,547.

    Acceptance rate
    67.2%
    Average net price
    $19,943
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,547
    6-yr graduation rate
    52.9%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#29 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1215 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1028 of 2,605

    582 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 50 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Ripon College

    Ripon, WIPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Ripon College: U.S. News ranks it #136 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #666 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1119 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 5 Science Lab Facilities. It enrolls 688 undergraduates, admits 79.8% of applicants, and posts a 63.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $51,900; aid recipients pay $20,216 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,902.

    Acceptance rate
    79.8%
    Average net price
    $20,216
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,902
    6-yr graduation rate
    63.3%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#136 of 210Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#666 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1119 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    688 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 51 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Valparaiso University

    Valparaiso, INPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Valparaiso University: U.S. News ranks it #198 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #323 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #991 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #283 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #419 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 2,083 undergraduates, admits 89.4% of applicants, and posts a 70.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $48,450; aid recipients pay $18,578 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,191.

    Acceptance rate
    89.4%
    Average net price
    $18,578
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $63,191
    6-yr graduation rate
    70.4%
    US News · National universities#198 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#323 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#991 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    2,083 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 50 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Southwest Baptist against these