Private nonprofit · University
Ottawa University-Ottawa
Ottawa, Kansas · Distant town
- 83.0%
- Admit rate
- $27,963
- Avg net price
- 28%
- Graduation rate
- $55,552
- Median earnings
Ottawa University-Ottawa is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Ottawa, Kansas (distant town setting), enrolling 870 undergraduates. It has a American Baptist religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Ottawa University-Ottawa's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 83.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 750–1000
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.90
Enter a test score to see where you land against Ottawa University-Ottawa's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Ottawa University-Ottawa's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Ottawa, Kansas
Ottawa is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Kansas, United States. In the spring of 1864, title to the land was obtained from the tribe through treaty connected to the founding of Ottawa University, the Ottawa having donated 20,000 acres of land to establish and fund a school for the education of Indians and non-Indians alike. Ottawa's two major employers are Walmart and American Eagle Outfitters, who both maintain distribution centers in the city. Ottawa has freight rail service from BNSF railway. There is also a grain elevator operated by the Ottawa Co-Op. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 50 miles to Kansas City, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 461 miles
- Nearest airport
- 57 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub
How Ottawa University-Ottawa compares
More selective than 39% · #14 most selective of 24 in Kansas
Higher than 8%
Higher than 10% · #25 of 27 in Kansas
Higher than 12%
Higher than 55% · #7 of 27 in Kansas
Cheaper than 21% · #21 cheapest of 26 in Kansas
Lower than 63%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 34%
Percentiles compare Ottawa University-Ottawa 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
- Undergraduate87087%
- Graduate12913%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women54663%
- Men32437%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White50%
- Black15%
- Hispanic19%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 870
- Graduate enrollment
- 129
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 37%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 4%
- Median family income
- $37,232
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $61,002
- Endowment
- $6,264,121
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 83.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 750–1000
- SAT average
- 1000
- SAT reading
- 420–500
- SAT math
- 330–500
- ACT composite
- 16–22
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.90
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $35,880
- Room & board
- $13,646
- Books & supplies
- $1,300
- Total cost of attendance
- $51,856
- Average net price
- $27,963
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)
- 28%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 20%
- First-year retention
- 58%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,139
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $55,552
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Students with federal loans
- 76%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 38%
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)
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
- 633
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 73%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,360
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,800
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NAIA Division I
- Football conference
- Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 936 (582 men · 354 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 (17)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (999 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$25,525/year × about 4.4 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.
Ottawa University-Ottawa discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,122. 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 243 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)
- $55,552
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 39%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $7,007 (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
- 89°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 39.9″
- Annual snow
- 9.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ottawa, KS US station (1.1 mi from campus).
What Ottawa University-Ottawa graduates study — and earn
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 Ottawa University-Ottawa
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Ottawa University-Ottawa side by side →
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, Maine · Fringe rural · 16 mi to Portland
- Students
- 964
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1040
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $59k
Ottawa University-Surprise
Surprise, Arizona · Large suburb · 21 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 836
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 972
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $56k
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, Kansas · Fringe town · 22 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 925
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1029
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $59k
University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, Connecticut · Small city · 3 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 838
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 950
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $60k
Southwestern Adventist University
Keene, Texas · Fringe town · 25 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 570
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1031
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $53k
Anderson University
Anderson, Indiana · Small city · 35 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 1,057
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1035
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Ottawa University-Ottawa
Baker University
Baldwin City, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,100 students
Haskell Indian Nations University
Lawrence, KS · Public · Associate · 978 students
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS · Public · Bachelor's · 21,217 students
WellSpring School of Allied Health-Lawrence
Lawrence, KS · Private for-profit · Associate · 37 students
MidAmerica Nazarene University
Olathe, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 983 students
Rasmussen University-Kansas
Topeka, KS · Private for-profit · Associate · 359 students
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS · Public · Associate · 11,332 students
Z Hair Academy
Overland Park, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 235 students
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.













