SC vs. SCU

Sterling College vs. Southwestern Christian University comparison

	Sterling College	Southwestern Christian University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	SC	SCU
Location	Sterling, KS	Bethany, OK
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	706	425
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	-	Pentecostal Holiness Church	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	sterling.edu	swcu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	SC	SCU
Tuition (In State)	$28,500	$17,040
Tuition (Out of State)	$28,500	$17,040
Room & Board	$9,336	$9,400
Avg Net Price	$22,680	$19,713
Avg Grant Aid	$19,729	$11,041
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	SC	SCU
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,959	-
Admitted	1,197	-
Acceptance Rate	61.1%
Enrolled %	13.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.46	3.22
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Unavailable
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	18/24
SAT Range	938/1123
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 17, 2025

Academics	SC	SCU
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Education (26%) Business (22%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (11%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (8%) Philosophy and Religious Studies (6%)	Human Services (34%) Business (27%) Philosophy and Religious Studies (16%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (10%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (9%)
Outcomes	SC	SCU
Graduation Rate	48%	28%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$37,400	$27,400
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	38%
Median Student Loan Debt	$24,663	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$255	$279

Diversity	SC	SCU
% Men	59%	56%
% Women	41%	44%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	68%	44%
% Black	11%	25%
% Hispanic	15%	8%
% Native American	2%	4%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	0%	3%
% International	0%	10%
% Unknown Race	3%	4%

Students	SC	SCU
% In-State	37%	72%
% Out-of-State	53%	19%
Campus	SC	SCU
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Sterling College is larger than than SCU based on total student enrollment (706 students vs. 425 students)

SC vs. SCU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, SC or SCU?

• Sterling College is 67.3% more expensive to attend than SCU for in-state tuition ($28,500.00 vs. $17,040.00)
• Out of state tuition is 67.3% higher at SC than Southwestern Christian University ($28,500.00 vs. $17,040.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwestern Christian University than SC ($19,713 vs. $22,680)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Sterling College are 0.7% lower than costs at Southwestern Christian University ($9,336 vs. $9,400)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Sterling College than Southwestern Christian University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Sterling College students is 78.7% larger than aid received Southwestern Christian University ($19,729 vs. $11,041)

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

• The average SAT score at Sterling College (990) is 12 points higher than at SCU (978)
• Incoming SC students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at SCU (21)
• Accepted freshman SC students have a 0.24 point higher average high school GPA (3.46) than students at SCU (3.22)

SC vs. SCU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, SC or SCU? 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 SCU and SC.

• The graduation rate at SC is higher than Southwestern Christian University (48% vs. 28%)
• Graduates from Sterling College earn on average $10,000 more per year than SCU graduates after ten years. ($37,400 vs. $27,400)
• Sterling College students graduate with a $2,337 lower median federal student loan debt than SCU graduates. ($24,663 vs. $27,000)
• SC graduates are paying $24 less per month on federal student loans than SCU graduates. ($255 vs. $279)
• More SC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former SCU students, three years after graduation. (60% vs. 38%)

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