Private nonprofit · University

Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, Texas · Midsize city

90.0%
Admit rate
$19,555
Avg net price
46%
Graduation rate
$54,771
Median earnings

Hardin-Simmons University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Abilene, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,283 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,283 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division III with football · American Southwest Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Hardin-Simmons University's admitted students.

Admit rate
90.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1010–1190
Avg GPA (est.)
3.17

Enter a test score to see where you land against Hardin-Simmons University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Hardin-Simmons University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Abilene, Texas

Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties, Texas, United States. Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the city was named after Abilene, Kansas, the original endpoint for the Chisholm Trail. The T&P had bypassed the town of Buffalo Gap, the county seat at the time. The cultural aspects of Abilene revolve around a mix of the local college and university campuses, the agriculture community of the surrounding area, and a growing nightlife scene in the downtown area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
141 miles to Midland, TX
To the ocean
317 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Abilene (ABI)

How Hardin-Simmons University compares

Selectivity90.0%

More selective than 24% · #51 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1108

Higher than 32%

Graduation rate46%

Higher than 32% · #50 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention65%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,771

Higher than 53% · #45 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$19,555

Cheaper than 52% · #47 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$24,711

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,283

Larger than 45%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,657students
  • Undergraduate1,28377%
  • Graduate37423%

Undergraduates by gender

1,283undergrads
  • Women68153%
  • Men60247%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White55%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial8.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,283
Graduate enrollment
374
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$53,330
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,315
Endowment
$222,008,195

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 356 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas96%
  • Other U.S. states2.5%
  • International1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Hardin-Simmons University draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

1% 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
90.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1010–1190
SAT average
1108
SAT reading
510–600
SAT math
500–590
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.17

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,960
Room & board
$11,500
Books & supplies
$1,226
Total cost of attendance
$45,904
Average net price
$19,555

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)
46%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,392
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,771
Median debt at graduation
$24,711
Students with federal loans
82%
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
37%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
45%

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
1,180
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
92%
Housing charge (year)
$5,300
Meal plan (year)
$5,900
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
American Southwest Conference
Varsity athletes
567 (404 men · 163 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 (11)

Football212
Soccer72
Track and Field (Outdoor)59
Baseball50
Basketball44
Tennis30
Softball25
Golf22
Volleyball20
Cross Country18
Track and Field (Indoor)15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,665 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.

4.3reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Burglary
0.3
Arson
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
$13,822
$30–48k
$15,190
$48–75k
$17,248
$75–110k
$18,182
$110k+
$25,639

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
$74,257

$17,248/year × about 4.3 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
$18,758
average award, among those who get one

Hardin-Simmons University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,758. 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 349 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)
$54,771
Typical debt at graduation
$24,711
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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
$51,451
Men
$58,126

Men out-earn women by $6,675 (13%) 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
96°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
25.2″
Annual snow
3.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.73.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Abilene Rgnl AP, TX US station (5.5 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 Hardin-Simmons University

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

Colleges near Hardin-Simmons 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.