McPherson College vs. Southwest Baptist University

McPherson College vs. Southwest Baptist University comparison

	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Location	McPherson, KS	Bolivar, MO
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	822	2,386
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#1028
Religious Affiliation	Church of Brethren	Southern Baptist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mcpherson.edu	sbuniv.edu
Team Colors

Costs	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Tuition (In State)	$32,494	$25,990
Tuition (Out of State)	$32,494	$25,990
Room & Board	$9,918	$8,290
Avg Net Price	$25,065	$18,926
Avg Grant Aid	$21,916	$18,146
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	97%

Admission	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,445	881
Admitted	952	877
Acceptance Rate	65.9%	99.5%
Enrolled %	26.3%	32.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	3.55
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/23	19/25
SAT Range	908/1120	928/1148
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline	Aug 1, 2025

Academics	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Engineering Technology (16%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Education (8%)	Health Professions (39%) Education (14%) Business (9%) Psychology (7%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (6%)
Outcomes	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Graduation Rate	46%	48%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,200	$36,700
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$21,087
Median Loan Payment	$268	$218

Diversity	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
% Men	67%	37%
% Women	33%	63%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	83%
% Black	10%	5%
% Hispanic	12%	2%
% Native American	1%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	1%
% International	4%	0%
% Unknown Race	0%	6%

Students	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
% In-State	31%	59%
% Out-of-State	62%	25%
Campus	McPherson College	Southwest Baptist University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Baptist University is larger than than McPherson College based on total student enrollment (2,386 students vs. 822 students)

McPherson College vs. Southwest Baptist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, McPherson College or Southwest Baptist University?

• McPherson College is 25% more expensive to attend than Southwest Baptist University for in-state tuition ($32,494.00 vs. $25,990.00)
• Out of state tuition is 25% higher at McPherson College than Southwest Baptist University ($32,494.00 vs. $25,990.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Baptist University than McPherson College ($18,926 vs. $25,065)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Baptist University are 19.6% lower than costs at McPherson College ($8,290 vs. $9,918)
• More students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College than Southwest Baptist University (100% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by McPherson College students is 20.8% larger than aid received Southwest Baptist University ($21,916 vs. $18,146)

McPherson College vs. Southwest Baptist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, McPherson College or Southwest Baptist University? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Southwest Baptist University or McPherson College .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Baptist University (1058) is 118 points higher than at McPherson College (940)
• Incoming Southwest Baptist University students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at McPherson College (20)
• Accepted freshman Southwest Baptist University students have a 0.22 point higher average high school GPA (3.55) than students at McPherson College (3.33)
• Southwest Baptist University has a higher acceptance rate (99.5%) than McPherson College (65.9%)

McPherson College vs. Southwest Baptist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, McPherson College or Southwest Baptist University? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Southwest Baptist University and McPherson College.

• The graduation rate at Southwest Baptist University is higher than McPherson College (48% vs. 46%)
• Graduates from McPherson College earn on average $7,500 more per year than Southwest Baptist University graduates after ten years. ($44,200 vs. $36,700)
• Southwest Baptist University students graduate with a $4,913 lower median federal student loan debt than McPherson College graduates. ($21,087 vs. $26,000)
• Southwest Baptist University graduates are paying $50 less per month on federal student loans than McPherson College graduates. ($218 vs. $268)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Baptist University students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 63%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/