Private nonprofit · University

Kansas Wesleyan University

Salina, Kansas · Remote town

71.9%
Admit rate
$22,671
Avg net price
49%
Graduation rate
$51,152
Median earnings

Kansas Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Salina, Kansas (remote town setting), enrolling 956 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 956 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 72% admitNAIA Division I · Kansas Collegiate Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Salina, Kansas

Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. Claimed first by France as part of Louisiana and later acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it was within the area organized by the U.S. as Kansas Territory in 1854. Each June, the Salina Arts & Humanities department holds the Smoky Hill River Festival lasting three and a half days, with arts and crafts shows, music concerts, games, and other activities. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
79 miles to Wichita, KS
To Great Lakes shore
566 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Salina (SLN)

How Kansas Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity71.9%

More selective than 60% · #8 most selective of 24 in Kansas

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 37% · #12 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention60%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,152

Higher than 41% · #17 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$22,671

Cheaper than 37% · #14 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment956

Larger than 36%

Percentiles compare Kansas Wesleyan 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

1,015students
  • Undergraduate95694%
  • Graduate596%

Undergraduates by gender

956undergrads
  • Women40542%
  • Men55158%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
956
Graduate enrollment
59
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$49,181
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$56,844
Endowment
$46,748,095

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 263 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas43%
  • Other U.S. states53%
  • International3.8%

A national draw — only 43% of first-years come from Kansas; 53% arrive from other states.

4% 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
71.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,630
Room & board
$11,840
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$47,437
Average net price
$22,671

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)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
60%
Transferred to another college
37%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,811
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,152
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
71%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 8% 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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
40%

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
571
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
60%
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
883 (546 men · 337 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)192
Football142
Soccer127
Basketball83
Baseball78
Other Sports71
Volleyball58
Softball45
Golf31
Tennis30
Bowling26

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,021 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.7
Burglary
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
$18,192
$30–48k
$22,442
$48–75k
$20,857
$75–110k
$24,189
$110k+
$25,113

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
$88,272

$20,857/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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,423
average award, among those who get one

Kansas Wesleyan University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,423. 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 234 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)
$51,152
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

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
$48,950
Men
$52,371

Men out-earn women by $3,421 (7%) 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
93°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
29.7″
Annual snow
17.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salina Muni AP, KS US station (2.5 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 Kansas Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Kansas Wesleyan 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.