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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 28 miles to Springfield, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 423 miles
- Nearest airport
- 25 miles to Springfield Branson National (SGF)
How Southwest Baptist University compares
More selective than 66% · #13 most selective of 44 in Missouri
Higher than 25%
Higher than 51% · #23 of 51 in Missouri
Higher than 19%
Higher than 20% · #36 of 53 in Missouri
Cheaper than 42% · #32 cheapest of 51 in Missouri
Lower than 68%
Lower than 76%
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
- Undergraduate1,34173%
- Graduate48927%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bolivar 1 NE, MO US station (1.3 mi from campus).
What Southwest Baptist University 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 Southwest Baptist University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southwest Baptist University side by side →
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee · Fringe rural · 10 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 743
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1078
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $41k
Converse University
Spartanburg, South Carolina · Small city · 28 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,173
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $41k
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, North Carolina · Midsize suburb · 11 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,276
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1099
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $48k
Freed-Hardeman University
Henderson, Tennessee · Distant town · 82 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 1,212
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1109
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $47k
Rocky Mountain College
Billings, Montana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Billings
- Students
- 840
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1083
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $49k
Florida College
Temple Terrace, Florida · Large suburb · 7 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 588
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1108
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar Technical College
Bolivar, MO · Private nonprofit · Associate · 144 students
Mission University
Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 381 students
Cox College
Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit · Associate · 540 students
Drury University
Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,383 students
Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies
Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 632 students
Evangel University
Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,229 students
Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO · Public · Associate · 8,165 students
Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, MO · Public · Bachelor's · 13,313 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.














