Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 68.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 29/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southwest Baptist University, a small Missouri Baptist liberal arts college in Bolivar, scores 29 (Below Benchmark). The data: $30,566 tuition, $21,677 net price (29% discount), $20,957 median federal debt, and ten-year median earnings of just $43,112. The 0.676 debt-to-earnings ratio and 27.9-year payback period are both weak. Completion at 55.3% is mediocre, and repayment rate is 73.8%. The 36.3% Pell rate suggests a mostly working-class to lower-middle income student body. SBU's value proposition is the Baptist Christian identity and small-town Missouri community. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, the financial outcomes don't justify the cost for non-nursing students; the school is best understood as a values-driven choice for Baptist families.
How Southwest Baptist University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score29/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period27.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Southwest Baptist University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $30,566/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $30,566/yr |
| Average net price | $21,677/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $86,708 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $43,112 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,957 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $222 |
| Estimated payback period | 27.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 55.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,341 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $30,566/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,677/year, or roughly $86,708 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $21,978/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $23,857/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,957, which works out to about $222 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,000) and comes to 0.68, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $21,978 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,947 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,633 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,016 |
| $110,001+ | $23,857 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $21,978 net per year, and the $30K-$48K band actually pays less at $17,947 - a noticeable inverted bracket where need-based aid stacks more favorably for the slightly-higher-income bracket. Low-income students face roughly $88K four-year out-of-pocket cost - severe against $43K earnings unless the student is in the nursing pipeline.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $19,633 and the $75K-$110K band climbs to $22,016. Middle-income Missouri families face $79K-$88K in four-year cost. Workable only for nursing graduates; the school's other major mixes leave middle-income borrowers stretched thin against weak earnings.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $23,857 net per year. Total four-year cost approaches $95K. For Baptist families committed to the SBU identity, this is the price; the value math works only with the nursing pipeline.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Southwest Baptist University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $78,525 | B |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $58,770 | C |
| Teacher Education | $36,697 | D |
| Psychology | $43,058 | D |
| Computer Science | $62,016 | - |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $56,182 | - |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $41,618 | D |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $38,801 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is SBU's standout ROI program: 51 graduates with $69,273 first-year earnings, $29,171 debt, and a 0.421 D/E ratio (B grade). SBU nursing graduates feed Missouri and Ozarks-region hospital systems where the regulated nursing labor market produces predictable strong starting salaries. This is the one program where the SBU financial math works clearly.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology produces 47 graduates with $30,837 first-year earnings, $19,550 debt, and a 0.634 D/E ratio (C grade). Lower debt than most SBU majors but earnings are modest. Workable for students continuing to physical therapy or athletic training graduate programs; weak as a terminal credential.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education enrolls 35 graduates with $27,348 first-year earnings, $21,250 debt, and a 0.777 D/E ratio (D grade). Missouri rural-district teacher salaries cap the upside, and the private-school debt load creates real friction. Workable only for students committed to teaching in Baptist-affiliated K-12 environments.
Psychology
Psychology enrolls 29 graduates with $30,870 first-year earnings, $26,348 debt, and a 0.854 D/E ratio (D grade). The bachelor's-only psychology problem in concentrated form: starting pay barely clears payment thresholds. Students need a clear graduate plan to make this work economically.
Teacher Education, Subject-Specific
Subject-Specific Teacher Ed enrolls 12 graduates with $35,507 first-year earnings, $25,762 debt, and a 0.726 D/E ratio (D grade). Workable for students drawn to specific content areas with shortage incentives.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 70.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 65.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 71.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southwest Baptist University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 68.4% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 380-600 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 430-610 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 17-26 |
| Enrollment | 1,341 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 36.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,072 |
SBU admits 68.4% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 380-600 math and 430-610 reading - notably wide ranges with low floors, suggesting the school admits academically weak students alongside stronger ones. The ACT band of 17-26 has the same wide spread. The 55.3% completion rate aligns with this admit profile: a meaningful share of admitted students are marginally prepared, and persistence varies dramatically.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Baptist University (this school) | 29 | $21,677 | $43,112 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Arizona Christian University | 30 | $32,839 | $51,612 |
| Asbury University | 29 | $21,401 | $42,368 |
| Atlantic University | 26 | $6,425 | $25,272 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
With 36.3% Pell rate and 1,341 students, the campus is small and economically mixed. Strong fit for nursing students who can leverage the regulated-license labor market; weak fit for students choosing the school's psychology, kinesiology, or education programs where Missouri's regional wages don't support the private-school debt load. Students should view SBU as a values choice with one strong financial path (nursing) and several weak ones.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southwest Baptist University scores 29/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,677 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $43,112 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 27.9 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,957 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Southwest Baptist University: Common Questions
Is Southwest Baptist University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southwest Baptist University scores 29/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,677 a year after aid against $43,112 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 27.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southwest Baptist University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $21,677 a year, or roughly $86,708 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Southwest Baptist University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $43,112 ten years after enrolling, roughly $1,312 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Southwest Baptist University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 27.9 years for Southwest Baptist University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southwest Baptist University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,957, against average earnings of $31,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Southwest Baptist University?
The six-year graduation rate is 55.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.