Private nonprofit · University

Lindsey Wilson University

Columbia, Kentucky · Remote town

Admit rate
$15,070
Avg net price
44%
Graduation rate
$41,129
Median earnings

Lindsey Wilson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Columbia, Kentucky (remote town setting), enrolling 1,585 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,585 undergradsRemote townNAIA Division I · Mid-South ConferenceCold winters

About Columbia, Kentucky

Columbia is a home rule-class city just above Russell Creek in Adair County, Kentucky, United States. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806, by John Field, who also ran the local store. Downtown Days, two-day festival on the streets of downtown Columbia. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
324 miles
Nearest airport
75 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)

How Lindsey Wilson University compares

Graduation rate44%

Higher than 29% · #20 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention63%

Higher than 17%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,129

Higher than 16% · #26 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$15,070

Cheaper than 73% · #13 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$16,784

Lower than 87%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment1,585

Larger than 51%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,056students
  • Undergraduate1,58539%
  • Graduate2,47161%

Undergraduates by gender

1,585undergrads
  • Women99363%
  • Men59237%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black12%
  • Other or multiracial22%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,585
Graduate enrollment
2,471
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
52%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$25,540
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,608
Endowment
$42,800,724

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 435 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kentucky73%
  • Other U.S. states15%
  • International12%

Most first-years stay in state — Lindsey Wilson University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.

12% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$27,808
Room & board
$10,178
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$40,879
Average net price
$15,070

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)
44%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
63%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,861
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,129
Median debt at graduation
$16,784
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 14% 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
30%
Low-income (Pell)
41%
First-generation
41%

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
1,167
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Housing charge (year)
$3,626
Meal plan (year)
$6,352
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Mid-South Conference
Varsity athletes
864 (556 men · 308 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 (14)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)171
Football162
Soccer94
Wrestling86
Basketball77
Baseball53
Archery41
Swimming39
Volleyball34
Softball27
Tennis24
Golf23
Bowling20
Other Sports13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 13 campuses (4,193 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.3
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
$14,745
$30–48k
$10,966
$48–75k
$16,066
$75–110k
$17,208
$110k+
$18,182

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
$71,905

$16,066/year × about 4.5 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
$17,943
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 97% — get grant money from Lindsey Wilson University itself, averaging $17,943, which softens the sticker price.

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 411 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)
$41,129
Typical debt at graduation
$16,784
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
41%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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
$38,651
Men
$44,288

Men out-earn women by $5,637 (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
86°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
57″
Annual snow
4.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamestown Wwtp, KY US station (14.7 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 Lindsey Wilson University

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

Colleges near Lindsey Wilson 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.