Private nonprofit · University

Baker University

Baldwin City, Kansas · Distant rural

#1 for grad earnings in Kansas#5 graduation rate in Kansas
94.2%
Admit rate
$25,301
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$63,855
Median earnings

Baker University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Baldwin City, Kansas (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,100 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,100 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 94% admitNAIA Division I · Heart of America Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Baldwin City, Kansas

Baldwin City is a city in Palmyra Township, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about 12 miles (19 km) south of Lawrence. Baldwin City began as a trail stop on the Santa Fe Trail named Palmyra. The small community consisted of a harness shop, blacksmith, hotel, lawyer, drug store, two doctors and a tavern. In 1858, a group of Methodist ministers gathered at Kibbee Cabin and founded Baker University. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
452 miles
Nearest airport
44 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub

How Baker University compares

Selectivity94.2%

More selective than 15% · #21 most selective of 24 in Kansas

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #5 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention66%

Higher than 21%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,855

Higher than 76% · #1 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$25,301

Cheaper than 28% · #16 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,100

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare Baker University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,587students
  • Undergraduate1,10069%
  • Graduate48731%

Undergraduates by gender

1,100undergrads
  • Women65960%
  • Men44140%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black9.7%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,100
Graduate enrollment
487
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$55,117
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$59,130
Endowment
$52,323,368

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 236 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas55%
  • Other U.S. states40%
  • International5.1%

A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from Kansas, the rest from elsewhere.

5% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
94.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$35,300
Room & board
$11,250
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$50,918
Average net price
$25,301

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,747
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,855
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
49%
Low-income (Pell)
54%
First-generation
56%

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
576
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
52%
Housing charge (year)
$5,150
Meal plan (year)
$5,570
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Heart of America Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
674 (427 men · 247 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)145
Football120
Soccer87
Wrestling76
Baseball62
Basketball42
Other Sports41
Volleyball27
Bowling24
Softball21
Golf16
Tennis13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,017 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.7reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$21,057
$30–48k
$18,530
$48–75k
$23,470
$75–110k
$27,166
$110k+
$30,800

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$99,125

$23,470/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,800
average award, among those who get one

Baker University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,800. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 229 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)
$63,855
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
80%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$60,169
Men
$69,317

Men out-earn women by $9,148 (15%) 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
89°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
39.9″
Annual snow
9.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ottawa, KS US station (12.5 mi from campus).

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 Baker University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Baker University side by side →

Colleges near Baker University

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.