Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

William Jewell College

Students comparing William Jewell College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Liberty, Missouri924 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Private nonprofitSelectiveSmall enrollment

The short answer

William Jewell College: U.S. News ranks it #9 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #409 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #647 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #737 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 924 undergraduates, admits 38.4% of applicants, and posts a 67.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,610; aid recipients pay $17,562 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,268.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
38.4%

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
$17,562

45% below the $31,930 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
$59,268

Above 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
67.7%

Above 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
$24,498

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%
1080–1270

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 William Jewell 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 (Midwest)#9of 94Regional colleges (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#409of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#647of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#737of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: William Jewell's position moves 72 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 William Jewell

William Jewell College is a private nonprofit institution in Liberty, Missouri. Federal data show 73.8% 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 $17,562 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 $31,930 sticker cost against $17,562 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 William Jewell College 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
$20,610

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
31.6%

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

Room & board
$11,320

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $31,930 a year, but the average family pays $17,562 — a 45% difference. 31.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run William Jewell'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
    73.8%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    924

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

    William Jewell: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $20,610 and on-campus room and board is $11,320, for a published total of $31,930 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,562.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 38.4%. 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.

    Oberlin College

    Oberlin, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Oberlin College: U.S. News ranks it #55 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #199 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #691 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #477 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #383 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 College Newspaper. It enrolls 2,887 undergraduates, admits 34.2% of applicants, and posts a 80.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $67,366; aid recipients pay $38,645 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $58,343.

    Acceptance rate
    34.2%
    Average net price
    $38,645
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $58,343
    6-yr graduation rate
    80.9%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#55 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#199 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#691 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    2,887 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 44 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Denison University

    Granville, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Denison University: U.S. News ranks it #36 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #315 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #376 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #341 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #175 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 5 Career Services. It enrolls 2,380 undergraduates, admits 17.4% of applicants, and posts a 78.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $67,000; aid recipients pay $40,007 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $67,753.

    Acceptance rate
    17.4%
    Average net price
    $40,007
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $67,753
    6-yr graduation rate
    78.9%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#36 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#315 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#376 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    2,380 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 36 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Illinois Wesleyan University

    Bloomington, ILPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Illinois Wesleyan University: U.S. News ranks it #1 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #329 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #931 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #132 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #242 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 1,582 undergraduates, admits 39.3% of applicants, and posts a 74.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $57,704; aid recipients pay $28,199 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $70,871.

    Acceptance rate
    39.3%
    Average net price
    $28,199
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $70,871
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.7%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#1 of 94Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#329 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#931 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,582 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare William Jewell against these