SC vs. Southwest Baptist University

Sterling College vs. Southwest Baptist University comparison

	Sterling College	Southwest Baptist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Location	Sterling, KS	Bolivar, MO
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	706	2,386
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#1028
Religious Affiliation	-	Southern Baptist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	sterling.edu	sbuniv.edu
Team Colors

Costs	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Tuition (In State)	$28,500	$25,990
Tuition (Out of State)	$28,500	$25,990
Room & Board	$9,336	$8,290
Avg Net Price	$22,680	$18,926
Avg Grant Aid	$19,729	$18,146
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	97%

Admission	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,959	881
Admitted	1,197	877
Acceptance Rate	61.1%	99.5%
Enrolled %	13.4%	32.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.46	3.55
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	18/24	19/25
SAT Range	938/1123	928/1148
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline	Aug 17, 2025

Academics	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Education (26%) Business (22%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (11%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (8%) Philosophy and Religious Studies (6%)	Health Professions (39%) Education (14%) Business (9%) Psychology (7%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (6%)
Outcomes	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Graduation Rate	48%	48%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$37,400	$36,700
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$24,663	$21,087
Median Loan Payment	$255	$218

Diversity	SC	Southwest Baptist University
% Men	59%	37%
% Women	41%	63%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	68%	83%
% Black	11%	5%
% Hispanic	15%	2%
% Native American	2%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	0%	1%
% International	0%	0%
% Unknown Race	3%	6%

Students	SC	Southwest Baptist University
% In-State	37%	59%
% Out-of-State	53%	25%
Campus	SC	Southwest Baptist University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Baptist University is larger than than SC based on total student enrollment (2,386 students vs. 706 students)

SC vs. Southwest Baptist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, SC or Southwest Baptist University?

• Sterling College is 9.7% more expensive to attend than Southwest Baptist University for in-state tuition ($28,500.00 vs. $25,990.00)
• Out of state tuition is 9.7% higher at SC than Southwest Baptist University ($28,500.00 vs. $25,990.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Baptist University than SC ($18,926 vs. $22,680)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Baptist University are 12.6% lower than costs at Sterling College ($8,290 vs. $9,336)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Sterling College than Southwest Baptist University (100% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Sterling College students is 8.7% larger than aid received Southwest Baptist University ($19,729 vs. $18,146)

SC vs. Southwest Baptist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, SC 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 SC .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Baptist University (1058) is 68 points higher than at SC (990)
• Incoming Southwest Baptist University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at SC (22)
• Accepted freshman Southwest Baptist University students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.55) than students at SC (3.46)
• Southwest Baptist University has a higher acceptance rate (99.5%) than SC (61.1%)

SC vs. Southwest Baptist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, SC 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 SC.

• The graduation rate at SC is the same as at Southwest Baptist University (48% vs. 48%)
• Graduates from Sterling College earn on average $700 more per year than Southwest Baptist University graduates after ten years. ($37,400 vs. $36,700)
• Southwest Baptist University students graduate with a $3,576 lower median federal student loan debt than SC graduates. ($21,087 vs. $24,663)
• Southwest Baptist University graduates are paying $37 less per month on federal student loans than SC graduates. ($218 vs. $255)
• More Southwest Baptist University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former SC students, three years after graduation. (63% vs. 60%)

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