McPherson College vs. Southwestern College

McPherson College vs. Southwestern College comparison

	McPherson College	Southwestern College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	McPherson College	Southwestern College
Location	McPherson, KS	Winfield, KS
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	788	1,139
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#517
Religious Affiliation	Church of Brethren	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mcpherson.edu	sckans.edu
Team Colors

Costs	McPherson College	Southwestern College
Tuition (In State)	$34,072	$38,330
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,072	$38,330
Room & Board	$10,322	$11,356
Avg Net Price	$25,490	$27,337
Avg Grant Aid	$22,929	$26,433
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	McPherson College	Southwestern College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,209	1,333
Admitted	1,013	866
Acceptance Rate	83.8%	65%
Enrolled %	23.8%	23.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	17/24	17/22
SAT Range	936/1126	900/1220
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Aug 1, 2026	Aug 22, 2026

Academics	McPherson College	Southwestern College
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%)	Business (44%) Education (12%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (11%) Computer and Information Sciences (10%) Health Professions (4%)
Outcomes	McPherson College	Southwestern College
Graduation Rate	46%	57%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,200	$53,100
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	57%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$25,750
Median Loan Payment	$268	$266

Diversity	McPherson College	Southwestern College
% Men	0%	6%
% Women	0%	3%
Racial Diversity	Medium	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	54%
% Black	10%	12%
% Hispanic	12%	8%
% Native American	1%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	4%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	15%

Students	McPherson College	Southwestern College
% In-State	27%	28%
% Out-of-State	69%	70%
Campus	McPherson College	Southwestern College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwestern College is larger than than McPherson College based on total student enrollment (1,139 students vs. 788 students)

McPherson College vs. Southwestern College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, McPherson College or Southwestern College?

• Southwestern College is 12.5% more expensive to attend than McPherson College for in-state tuition ($38,330.00 vs. $34,072.00)
• Out of state tuition is 12.5% higher at Southwestern College than McPherson College ($38,330.00 vs. $34,072.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at McPherson College than Southwestern College ($25,490 vs. $27,337)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at McPherson College are 10% lower than costs at Southwestern College ($10,322 vs. $11,356)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College as Southwestern College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwestern College students is 15.3% larger than aid received McPherson College ($26,433 vs. $22,929)

McPherson College vs. Southwestern College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Southwestern College (999) is 59 points higher than at McPherson College (940)
• Incoming Southwestern College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at McPherson College (20)
• Accepted freshman McPherson College students have at the same average high school GPA (3.33) as students at Southwestern College (3.33)
• McPherson College has a higher acceptance rate (83.8%) than Southwestern College (65%)

McPherson College vs. Southwestern College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, McPherson College or Southwestern College? 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 Southwestern College and McPherson College.

• The graduation rate at Southwestern College is higher than McPherson College (57% vs. 46%)
• Graduates from Southwestern College earn on average $8,900 more per year than McPherson College graduates after ten years. ($53,100 vs. $44,200)
• Southwestern College students graduate with a $250 lower median federal student loan debt than McPherson College graduates. ($25,750 vs. $26,000)
• Southwestern College graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than McPherson College graduates. ($266 vs. $268)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwestern College students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 57%)

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