BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

McPherson College

McPherson, Kansas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·mcpherson.edu
6-yr Graduation
34%
-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
878
peer median 786
Avg net price
$24,837
+$734 vs Baccalaureate
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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
1,846
1,846 candidates competed
Admitted
1,417
76.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
318
22.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
34%-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
29%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
34%
Full-time retention
65%

Pell equity

12.0pp gap
Pell recipients
26%
Non-Pell
38%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 40 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 38 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
40
Passing
2
5.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

40programs
  • Passing2 · 5.0%
  • No Data38 · 95.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
38

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.

2
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+38.9%
$48,331 vs $34,808
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+51.6%
$52,781 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

2
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
52%
$25,000 debt · $48,331 earn
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,781 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1940Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 1

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$20,869
$30–48k$21,172
$48–75k$25,387
$75–110k$27,314
$110k+$28,232

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

Avg net price (private)
$24,837
+$734vs Baccalaureate median $24,103
Federal loans
63.6%
In-state tuition
$35,162
Out-of-state
$35,162

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 398 students received $2.2M in Pell grants, alongside $6.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
398
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.2M
$2,204,148 total
Direct Loans
$6.1M
1,126 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.8M
462 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.7M
508 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.6M
156 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 206 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (1.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.9%
-0.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
206
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.2%
2017
12.0%
2018
8.0%
2019
1.9%
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 McPherson College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs42
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

167 total completions
01Engineering Tech
4124.6%
02Business
3219.2%
03Education
2012.0%
04Health Professions
2012.0%
05Parks/Recreation
159.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
148.4%
07Social Sciences
95.4%
08Biological Sciences
63.6%
09Communication
53.0%
10Psychology
53.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
878
12-mo unduplicated
829
Undergraduate
828
Graduate
1

Gender split

Men
67%559
Women
33%270

Race / ethnicity composition

White
51.6%
Hispanic
16.8%
Black
12.5%
Non-resident
6.2%
Unknown
5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
4.5%
Asian
1.7%
Two or more
1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
481
330 M · 151 W
Women athletes
31.4%
Athletic aid
$6.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$9.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.7M
$2.0M
Recruiting expense
$15K
$23K
Head-coach salaries
$46K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Football
153 M ·
$3.0M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
45 M · 37 W
$587K
Basketball
40 M · 28 W
$1.4M
Baseball
63 M ·
$980K
Soccer
34 M · 22 W
$822K
Volleyball
· 37 W
$758K

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
13.38
11 offenses · 822 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago2.381 yr ago13.38Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
13
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Burglary
3
Fondling
3
Aggravated assault
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

11total
  • On campus11

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

  • Gender identity4

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs033
Liquor037

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
49

McPherson College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions McPherson College 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
SubjectMcPherson College
34%878$24,837Baccalaureate
Tabor College
34%64.6%621$19,868Baccalaureate
Sterling College
41%48.2%694$22,403Baccalaureate
Bethany College
36%56.0%615$29,203Baccalaureate
Kansas Wesleyan University
49%71.9%1,021$23,369Baccalaureate
Ottawa University-Ottawa
28%83.0%999$28,083Baccalaureate
Peer group median35%64.6%786$24,103

Frequently asked questions about McPherson College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about McPherson College.

What is the graduation rate at McPherson College?

McPherson College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 34% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend McPherson College?

McPherson College reports a total enrollment of 878 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at McPherson College?

The average net price at McPherson College is $24,837 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at McPherson College?

McPherson College's yield rate is 22.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is McPherson College located?

McPherson College is located in McPherson, Kansas 67460-1402.

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