Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Butler University

Indianapolis, Indiana·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·butler.edu
6-yr Graduation
80%
+29.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,746
peer median 4,793
Avg net price
$36,041
+$14k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
9,471
9,471 candidates competed
Admitted
8,058
85.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,038
12.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
80%+29.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
72%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
79%
Full-time retention
87%

Pell equity

8.6pp gap
Pell recipients
73%140 of 192
Non-Pell (all)
82%925 of 1133
Subsidized loan, no Pell
73%234 of 319
No Federal Aid
85%691 of 814

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 111 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 103 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
111
Passing
8
7.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

111programs
  • Passing8 · 7.2%
  • No Data103 · 92.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
8
No data
103

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

8
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+100.1%
$70,154 vs $35,051
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+101.3%
$105,303 vs $52,303
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+115.1%
$75,382 vs $35,051
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+132.1%
$81,344 vs $35,051
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+139.0%
$125,011 vs $52,303
Insurance
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+154.9%
$89,343 vs $35,051
Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+155.6%
$133,681 vs $52,303
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+167.0%
$93,584 vs $35,051

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
33%
$25,000 debt · $75,382 earn
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
28%
$19,500 debt · $70,154 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
24%
$19,500 debt · $81,344 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
20%
$20,500 debt · $105,303 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1931Next review Aug 2033
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 6

  1. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  2. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Jan 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation · Dance (DANCE) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-granting programs
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$25,278
$30–48k$25,696
$48–75k$32,679
$75–110k$36,778
$110k+$41,134

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$36,041
+$13,884vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $22,158
Federal loans
42.7%
In-state tuition
$47,560
Out-of-state
$47,560

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 856 students received $5.3M in Pell grants, alongside $43.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
856
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.3M
$5,263,690 total
Direct Loans
$43.3M
4,125 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.1M
1,139 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.2M
1,583 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.7M
718 loan awards
Parent PLUS$12.8M
444 loan awards
Grad PLUS$7.5M
241 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 877 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
877
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.8%
2017
2.6%
2018
1.9%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Butler

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs117
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,433 total completions
01Business
42729.8%
02Health Professions
37526.2%
03Communication
14410.0%
04Visual/Performing Arts
916.4%
05Education
906.3%
06Social Sciences
906.3%
07Biological Sciences
855.9%
08Psychology
644.5%
09Foreign Languages
382.7%
10English Language
292.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,746
12-mo unduplicated
6,550
Undergraduate
4,700
Graduate
1,850

Gender split

Men
38%2,471
Women
62%4,079

Race / ethnicity composition

White
76.8%
Hispanic
7.4%
Black
5.2%
Two or more
4.3%
Asian
4.0%
Non-resident
1.3%
Unknown
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
469
264 M · 205 W
Women athletes
43.7%
Athletic aid
$6.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$36.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.3M
$3.6M
Recruiting expense
$2.7M
$1.9M
Head-coach salaries
$463K
$109K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
103 M · 70 W
$1.5M
Football
119 M ·
$1.4M
Soccer
29 M · 32 W
$2.9M
Basketball
14 M · 29 W
$12.8M
Baseball
42 M ·
$1.5M
Lacrosse
· 28 W
$716K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.69
27 offenses · 5,763 students

3-year trend

4.862 yrs ago3.441 yr ago4.69Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
73
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
59
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
6
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
8
Rape
7
Motor vehicle theft
7
Burglary
5

By location

27total
  • On campus22
  • Non-campus4
  • Public property1

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
9
Stalking
11 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race2
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs131
Liquor10138

Residence-hall fires

  • Apt Village M1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • ResCo1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Butler Terrace B1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 5 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
380

Butler vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Butler selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectButler University
80%5,746$36,041Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
47%70.4%2,770$23,206Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
36%92.8%4,770$18,436Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
55%97.8%4,815$17,707Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
60%76.4%4,106$21,988Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
22%94.3%5,274$22,327Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median51%92.8%4,793$22,158

Institutions like Butler

Explore the federal data for institutions in Butler's comparison group.

Butler Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research & Assessment
Phone
317-940-9526
Address
Jordan Hall, Room 153, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46208

Our mission is to foster a data-driven culture and facilitate strategic planning and decision-making by providing accurate, relevant, and unbiased data; offering higher education research expertise and statistical consulting services; and improving teaching and learning by assisting academic departments with program reviews and other assessment efforts.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Amia Foston
    Director of Institutional Research & Assessment
  • Laura Daily
    Institutional Research Specialist
  • Carrie Allen
    Associate Director of Assessment and Accreditation

Common Data Set

Butler's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
82.1%
Accessible
Yield
14.1%
of admitted students enroll
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
11,139
Admitted
9,144
Enrolled
1,292

11,139 applied → 9,144 admitted (82.1%) → 1,292 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
82.1%

Accessible — 82.1% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
male83.2%
female81.4%
unknown85.7%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1163
Median
1250
75th
1330

Middle 50% SAT 1163–1330 (median 1250).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
26
Median
29
75th
31

Middle 50% ACT 26–31 (median 29).

High-school class rank

C10
top tenth41%
top quarter67%
top half92%
bottom half8%
bottom quarter2%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
Rigor of secondary school recordAcademic GPA
Important2
Class rankStandardized test scores
Considered13
Application EssayRecommendation(s)InterviewExtracurricular activitiesTalent/abilityCharacter/personal qualitiesFirst generationAlumni/ae relationGeographical residenceState residencyVolunteer workWork experienceLevel of applicant’s interest
Not Considered1
Religious affiliation/commitment

Relative importance of each admission factor.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Butler University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Butler.

What is the graduation rate at Butler University?

Butler University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 80% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Butler University?

Butler University reports a total enrollment of 5,746 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Butler University?

The average net price at Butler University is $36,041 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Butler University?

Butler University's yield rate is 12.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Butler University located?

Butler University is located in Indianapolis, Indiana 46208.

Who runs Institutional Research at Butler University?

Butler University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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