Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Southwestern Adventist University

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

Keene, Texas570 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 19Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Southwestern Adventist University: U.S. News ranks it #17 on Regional Colleges (West) (2026); Niche ranks it #590 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 570 undergraduates, admits 78.4% of applicants, and posts a 52.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $25,380; aid recipients pay $22,778 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,946.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
78.4%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$22,778

35% below the $34,780 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
$52,946

About the dataset median

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
52.3%

Below the dataset median of 56%

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

Median debt at graduation
$26,998

Below 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%
910–1200

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 Southwestern Adventist 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 Colleges (West)#17of 104Regional colleges (West)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#590of 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: Southwestern Adventist's position moves 6 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. 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 Southwestern Adventist

Southwestern Adventist University is a private nonprofit institution in Keene, Texas. Federal data show 72.7% first-year retention and a 12:1 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 $22,778 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 $34,780 sticker cost against $22,778 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 Southwestern Adventist 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
$25,380

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
42.1%

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

Room & board
$9,400

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $34,780 a year, but the average family pays $22,778 — a 35% difference. 42.1% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Southwestern Adventist'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
    12:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    72.7%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    570

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

    Southwestern Adventist: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $25,380 and on-campus room and board is $9,400, for a published total of $34,780 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $22,778.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 78.4%. 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.

    Blue Mountain Christian University

    Blue Mountain, MSPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Blue Mountain Christian University: U.S. News ranks it #18 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Niche ranks it #667 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 498 undergraduates, admits 88.9% of applicants, and posts a 54.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,180; aid recipients pay $24,016 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $40,421.

    Acceptance rate
    88.9%
    Average net price
    $24,016
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $40,421
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.8%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#18 of 131Niche · Overall (Niche)#667 of 2,605

    498 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 20 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Loyola University Maryland

    Baltimore, MDPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Loyola University Maryland: U.S. News ranks it #6 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Forbes ranks it #259 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #367 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #23 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #459 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,869 undergraduates, admits 75.5% of applicants, and posts a 79.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $57,150; aid recipients pay $30,574 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $82,652.

    Acceptance rate
    75.5%
    Average net price
    $30,574
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $82,652
    6-yr graduation rate
    79.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#6 of 170Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#259 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#367 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    3,869 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 20 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Rhodes College

    Memphis, TNPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Rhodes College: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #178 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #205 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #202 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #179 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 Most Beautiful Campus. It enrolls 1,836 undergraduates, admits 50.3% of applicants, and posts a 84.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $57,110; aid recipients pay $28,585 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,651.

    Acceptance rate
    50.3%
    Average net price
    $28,585
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,651
    6-yr graduation rate
    84.5%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#59 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#178 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#205 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,836 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Southwestern Adventist against these