Private nonprofit · University

Southwest Baptist University

Bolivar, Missouri · Distant town

68.4%
Admit rate
$21,677
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$43,112
Median earnings

Southwest Baptist University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bolivar, Missouri (distant town setting), enrolling 1,341 undergraduates. It has a Southern Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,341 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 68% admitNCAA Division II with football · Great Lakes Valley ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southwest Baptist University's admitted students.

Admit rate
68.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
810–1210
Avg GPA (est.)
3.16

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southwest Baptist University's admitted students.

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

About Bolivar, Missouri

Bolivar is a city in and the county seat of Polk County, Missouri, United States. Bolivar began as a settlement around Keeling Spring, with the majority of settlers being from Hardeman County, Tennessee. The settlement became part of Greene County, Missouri when that county was organized in 1833. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
423 miles
Nearest airport
25 miles to Springfield Branson National (SGF)

How Southwest Baptist University compares

Selectivity68.4%

More selective than 66% · #13 most selective of 44 in Missouri

SAT average1088

Higher than 25%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 51% · #23 of 51 in Missouri

First-year retention65%

Higher than 19%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,112

Higher than 20% · #36 of 53 in Missouri

Average net price$21,677

Cheaper than 42% · #32 cheapest of 51 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$20,957

Lower than 68%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,341

Larger than 46%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,830students
  • Undergraduate1,34173%
  • Graduate48927%

Undergraduates by gender

1,341undergrads
  • Women87465%
  • Men46735%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black6.6%
  • Hispanic2.2%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,341
Graduate enrollment
489
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$35,564
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$54,648
Endowment
$31,339,322

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

Admissions

Admission rate
68.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
810–1210
SAT average
1088
SAT reading
430–610
SAT math
380–600
ACT composite
17–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.16

Cost

In-state tuition
$30,566
Room & board
$9,776
Books & supplies
$980
Total cost of attendance
$40,301
Average net price
$21,677

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)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
46%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,855
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,112
Median debt at graduation
$20,957
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 10% 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
46%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
39%

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
873
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
65%
Housing charge (year)
$3,672
Meal plan (year)
$5,280
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
584 (338 men · 246 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)

Football113
Track and Field (Indoor)86
Track and Field (Outdoor)86
Soccer75
Baseball46
Cross Country37
Basketball33
Volleyball29
Softball27
Beach Volleyball18
Tennis17
Other Sports17

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)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,199 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.

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

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$21,978
$30–48k
$17,947
$48–75k
$19,633
$75–110k
$22,016
$110k+
$23,857

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
$83,701

$19,633/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.

76%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,222
average award, among those who get one

Southwest Baptist University discounts heavily: 76% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,222. 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 267 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)
$43,112
Typical debt at graduation
$20,957
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$39,019
Men
$49,602

Men out-earn women by $10,583 (27%) 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
22°F
Annual rain
46.4″
Annual snow
9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bolivar 1 NE, MO US station (1.3 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 Southwest Baptist University

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

Colleges near Southwest Baptist 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.