Private nonprofit · College

Southwestern College

Winfield, Kansas · Distant town

75.5%
Admit rate
$29,824
Avg net price
36%
Graduation rate
$55,646
Median earnings

Southwestern College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Winfield, Kansas (distant town setting), enrolling 924 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 924 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 76% admitNAIA Division II · Kansas Collegiate Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Winfield, Kansas

Winfield is a city in and the county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. Winfield was founded in 1870. It was named for Rev. Winfield Scott, who promised to build the town a church in exchange for the naming rights. The first post office at Winfield was established in May 1870. Winfield hosts the annual Walnut Valley Festival, one of the nation's oldest and largest bluegrass and acoustic music festivals, on the third weekend of every September. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
36 miles to Wichita, KS
To the ocean
530 miles
Nearest airport
37 miles to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National (ICT)

How Southwestern College compares

Selectivity75.5%

More selective than 54% · #10 most selective of 24 in Kansas

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 17% · #21 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention56%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,646

Higher than 56% · #6 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$29,824

Cheaper than 16% · #23 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment924

Larger than 35%

Percentiles compare Southwestern College 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

1,027students
  • Undergraduate92490%
  • Graduate10310%

Undergraduates by gender

924undergrads
  • Women42746%
  • Men49754%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White43%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
924
Graduate enrollment
103
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
40%
Median family income
$39,347
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$61,191
Endowment
$26,849,786

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 204 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas28%
  • Other U.S. states70%
  • International2.0%

A national draw — only 28% of first-years come from Kansas; 70% arrive from other states.

2% 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
75.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$39,822
Room & board
$11,465
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$58,432
Average net price
$29,824

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)
36%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
46%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,034
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,646
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
29%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
44%

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
630
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Housing charge (year)
$4,630
Meal plan (year)
$5,220
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
447 (329 men · 118 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)

Football136
Soccer81
Basketball63
Baseball57
Volleyball29
Softball23
Golf20
Track and Field (Outdoor)16
Other Sports11
Tennis7
Cross Country4

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,041 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.

4.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Rape
1.3
Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
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
$26,294
$30–48k
$28,688
$48–75k
$30,032
$75–110k
$31,315
$110k+
$32,739

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
$129,004

$30,032/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$22,521
average award, among those who get one

Southwestern College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,521. 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 196 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)
$55,646
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

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
$50,225
Men
$64,678

Men out-earn women by $14,453 (29%) 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
91°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
40.7″
Annual snow
9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winfield 3NE, KS US station (3.4 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 Southwestern College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southwestern College side by side →

Colleges near Southwestern College

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.