Private nonprofit

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Kansas City, Missouri·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·mbts.edu
6-yr Graduation
48%
+2.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
3,945
peer median 570
Avg net price
$25,140
+$5.2k vs peer
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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
139
139 candidates competed
Admitted
134
96.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
95
70.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
48%+2.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
23%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
64%
Full-time retention
81%

Pell equity

10.0pp gap
Pell recipients
50%
Non-Pell
40%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

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

Of 37 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 34 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
37
Passing
3
8.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

37programs
  • Passing3 · 8.1%
  • No Data34 · 91.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
34

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.

3
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+27.6%
$44,420 vs $34,808
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+54.7%
$68,891 vs $44,535
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Doctoral Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+81.0%
$80,599 vs $44,535

Debt vs earnings

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

2
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
50%
$22,331 debt · $44,420 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
42%
$28,715 debt · $68,891 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation

Accredited since 2022Next review Feb 2027
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1971Next review Aug 2033
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

Accredited since 1964Next review Jul 2033

Action history · 5

  1. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
  2. Jan 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Sep 2022Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation
  4. Jun 2019Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Jun 2017Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Warning
    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$23,177
$30–48k$25,389
$48–75k$25,809
$75–110k$26,718
$110k+$31,765

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

Avg net price (private)
$25,140
+$5,231vs peer median $19,909
Federal loans
26.3%
In-state tuition
$9,400
Out-of-state
$9,400

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 390 students received $1.9M in Pell grants, alongside $5.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
390
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.9M
$1,919,300 total
Direct Loans
$5.2M
740 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$854K
242 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$917K
218 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.2M
257 loan awards
Parent PLUS$118K
11 loan awards
Grad PLUS$154K
12 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 192 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
192
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.5%
2017
5.4%
2018
2.7%
2019
0.0%
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 MBTS

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs16
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

682 total completions
01Theology
65295.6%
02Multi/Interdisciplinary
101.5%
03Education
91.3%
04Business
60.9%
05Communication
20.3%
06Philosophy/Religion
20.3%
07History
10.1%
08Visual/Performing Arts
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
3,945
12-mo unduplicated
5,238
Undergraduate
1,804
Graduate
3,434

Gender split

Men
76%4,004
Women
24%1,234

Race / ethnicity composition

White
75.6%
Hispanic
7.5%
Unknown
4.7%
Black
3.9%
Asian
3.3%
Two or more
2.4%
Non-resident
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
64
38 M · 26 W
Women athletes
40.6%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$487K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$18K
$18K
Head-coach salaries
$49K
$37K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 3

Soccer
21 M · 16 W
$232K
Basketball
17 M ·
$146K
Volleyball
· 10 W
$67K

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
0.00
0 offenses · 3,772 students

3-year trend

0.872 yrs ago0.281 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
4
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

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

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    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
    17.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    48

    MBTS vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions MBTS 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
    SubjectMidwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
    48%3,945$25,140
    Ozark Christian College
    58%93.6%736$17,931
    Covenant Theological Seminary
    550
    Concordia Seminary
    589
    Mission University
    44%434$21,887
    Central Christian College of the Bible
    23%21.3%189$13,866
    Peer group median46%57.5%570$19,909

    Frequently asked questions about Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about MBTS.

    What is the graduation rate at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

    Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

    Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary reports a total enrollment of 3,945 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

    The average net price at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is $25,140 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary?

    Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's yield rate is 70.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary located?

    Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is located in Kansas City, Missouri 64118-4697.

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