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Southwest Baptist University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

Fair Price Value for Your Money
68% Acceptance Rate
6% Student Loan Default Rate

Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution in Bolivar, Missouri enrolling 1,341 undergraduates. It accepts 68% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 55%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,797 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 35%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Southwest Baptist University Ranked?

Southwest Baptist University ranks #1,797 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 35%.

#1,797 Best Colleges in Nation
#43 Best Colleges in MO
Southwest Baptist University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked Southwest Baptist University as #1,797 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

Southwest Baptist University is also ranked #43 on the Best Colleges in Missouri list.

See all of the rankings for Southwest Baptist University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Southwest Baptist University?

68% Acceptance Rate
68% Of Accepted Are Women
3% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Southwest Baptist University has an acceptance rate of 68%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for Southwest Baptist University.

Average Test Scores

About 3% of students accepted to Southwest Baptist University submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 430 and 610. Math scores were between 380 and 600.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Southwest Baptist University  ( 430 to 610 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Southwest Baptist University  ( 380 to 600 )
200
800

Southwest Baptist University received ACT scores from 53% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 17 and 26.

ACT Composite Scores for Southwest Baptist University  ( 17 to 26 )
1
36

Learn more about Southwest Baptist University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Southwest Baptist University?

10 to 1 Student to Faculty
39% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Southwest Baptist University is an impressive 10 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Southwest Baptist University is 39%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  39 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Southwest Baptist University?

65% Freshmen Retention
55% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Southwest Baptist University is 65%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  65 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Southwest Baptist University the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 55%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  55 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Southwest Baptist University.

How Diverse Is Southwest Baptist University?

1,341 Undergraduate Students
12.3% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
62.6% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 1,341 undergraduates at Southwest Baptist University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Southwest Baptist University.

How Much Does Southwest Baptist University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
50% Take Out Loans
$29,372 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of Southwest Baptist University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Southwest Baptist University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$21,978 $17,947 $19,633 $22,016 $23,857

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Southwest Baptist University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Southwest Baptist University, approximately 50% of students took out student loans averaging $7,343 a year. That adds up to $29,372 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.4%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Southwest Baptist University.

How Much Do Southwest Baptist University Graduates Earn?

$43,112 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Southwest Baptist University make around $43,112 per year during the early years of their employment. Unfortunately, this is 12% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Southwest Baptist University Graduates

See which majors at Southwest Baptist University make the most money.

Where Is Southwest Baptist University Located?

Missouri State
1,341 Undergraduate Students
Town Campus Setting

Southwest Baptist University is an private not-for-profit institution located in Bolivar, Missouri. The surrounding location of Bolivar is ideal for students who enjoy the charms of a college town. Get more details about the location of Southwest Baptist University.

Location of Southwest Baptist University

Get in touch with Southwest Baptist University can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 1600 University Ave, Bolivar, MO 65613-2596
Phone: 8005265859
Website: www.sbuniv.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Baptist_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Southwest-Baptist-University/65161545621
Twitter: twitter.com/SBUniv

What Majors Does Southwest Baptist University Offer?

18 Majors With Completions
1,206 Undergraduate Degrees

In the latest year of available data, students from 18 majors graduated from Southwest Baptist University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 603 NA
Nursing 166 $50,537
General Education 91 $40,764
Rehabilitation Professions 56 NA
Educational Administration 40 $44,826
Health & Physical Education 40 NA
Business Administration & Management 37 $31,073
Teacher Education Grade Specific 26 $28,285
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20 $29,610
General Psychology 16 $27,452

Learn more about the majors offered at Southwest Baptist University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Southwest Baptist University Offer Online Classes?

70% Take At Least One Class Online
17% Take All Classes Online

937 students took at least one online class at Southwest Baptist University.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at Southwest Baptist University.

Want to see how other colleges compare to Southwest Baptist University? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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