BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofitHSI

Southwestern University

Georgetown, Texas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·southwestern.edu
6-yr Graduation
73%
-3.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,440
peer median 1,417
Avg net price
$29,224
—
Use this data
Ask Clema
AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeResearch fundingDocumentsAlumni

About

Southwestern University is a private liberal arts university located in Georgetown, Texas. Established in 1840, it holds the distinction of being both the oldest college or university in Texas, and having maintained continuous, unbroken operation since its founding. While the institution evolved through a 1873 union of four earlier colleges, it remains the state's oldest academic lineage. This uninterrupted history, originating with the chartering of Rutersville College, also establishes Southwestern as the oldest continually operating university in Texas.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
6,313
6,313 candidates competed
Admitted
2,718
43.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
374
13.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
73%-3.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
67%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
73%
Full-time retention
81%

Pell equity

4.9pp gap
Pell recipients
69%77 of 111
Non-Pell (all)
74%244 of 330
Subsidized loan, no Pell
68%58 of 85
No Federal Aid
76%186 of 245

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.9-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.

FVT/GE

Of 43 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 36 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
43
Passing
7
16.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

43programs
  • Passing7 · 16.3%
  • No Data36 · 83.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
7
No data
36

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.

7
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+45.2%
$48,338 vs $33,298
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+51.4%
$50,426 vs $33,298
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
+56.3%
$52,035 vs $33,298
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+78.3%
$59,372 vs $33,298
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+86.0%
$61,935 vs $33,298
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+89.0%
$62,928 vs $33,298
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+114.3%
$71,342 vs $33,298

Debt vs earnings

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

7
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
56%
$27,000 debt · $48,338 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
53%
$26,508 debt · $50,426 earn
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$27,000 debt · $52,035 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
44%
$26,000 debt · $59,372 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
42%
$26,000 debt · $61,935 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
37%
$23,500 debt · $62,928 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$24,953 debt · $71,342 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1915Next review Dec 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. 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.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$22,478
$30–48k$19,096
$48–75k$28,175
$75–110k$30,387
$110k+$36,332

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

Avg net price (private)
$29,224
vs Baccalaureate median $29,224
Federal loans
45.6%
In-state tuition
$53,813
Out-of-state
$53,813

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 430 students received $2.5M in Pell grants, alongside $10.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
430
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.5M
$2,532,285 total
Direct Loans
$10.1M
1,234 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$1.9M
450 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.0M
532 loan awards
Parent PLUS$6.2M
252 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 271 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
271
Defaulted
5
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.7%
2017
3.9%
2018
4.5%
2019
1.8%
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 Southwestern

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs39
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

314 total completions
01Business
7824.8%
02Social Sciences
4614.6%
03Psychology
3812.1%
04Communication
3611.5%
05Biological Sciences
309.6%
06Parks/Recreation
299.2%
07Visual/Performing Arts
196.1%
08Education
154.8%
09Natural Resources
123.8%
10Foreign Languages
113.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
1,440
12-mo unduplicated
1,485
Undergraduate
1,485
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
45%671
Women
55%814

Race / ethnicity composition

White
51.3%
Hispanic
29.6%
Black
5.7%
Two or more
4.4%
Asian
3.3%
Unknown
3.1%
Non-resident
2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
476
305 M · 171 W
Women athletes
35.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$6.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$71K
$31K
Head-coach salaries
$46K
$42K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
95 M · —
$892K
Lacrosse
47 M · 18 W
$567K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
34 M · 28 W
$200K
Soccer
27 M · 35 W
$483K
Baseball
46 M · —
$371K
Basketball
20 M · 17 W
$461K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.12
6 offenses · 1,457 students

3-year trend

2.662 yrs ago6.071 yr ago4.12Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
19
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
20
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Fondling
3

By location

6total
  • On campus6

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs013
Liquor018

Residence-hall fires

  • Dorthy Lord Apartment1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Kappa Sigma1 fire
    Hazardous productDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
120

Southwestern vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Southwestern selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
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
SubjectSouthwestern University
73%—1,440$29,224Baccalaureate
Allegheny College
73%54.6%1,171$22,940Baccalaureate
Bates College
90%13.3%1,760$29,351Baccalaureate
Centre College
81%54.4%1,404$20,781Baccalaureate
Hendrix College
72%55.6%1,110$24,149Baccalaureate
Kalamazoo College
76%75.3%1,166$19,072Baccalaureate
Kenyon College
82%31.0%2,249$38,512Baccalaureate
Lawrence University
77%63.9%1,417$23,401Baccalaureate
Reed College
71%24.6%1,358$33,013Baccalaureate
Wheaton College
73%67.7%1,785$29,822Baccalaureate
Whitman College
81%38.1%1,561$33,313Baccalaureate
Peer group median76%54.5%1,417$29,224

Institutions like Southwestern

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

IPEDS

Southwestern Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Phone
512-863-6511
Address
Georgetown, Texas

The Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness provides and coordinates information utilized for Southwestern University decision-making, reporting, assessment, and accreditation.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Kimberly Faris
    Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
  • Cheyenne Ryals
    Institutional Effectiveness Analyst
  • Hal Hoeppner
    Institutional Research Analyst

Research funding

External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

NSF
USA Spending
$3,548,542
All sources
$3,548,542

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Southwestern (19)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • James Marion West Jr.
    Business
  • Hiram Abiff Boaz
    Clergy
  • Stanley Hauerwas
    Clergy
  • Bill Engvall
    Entertainment
  • Jerry Hardin
    Entertainment
  • Claude Porter White
    Entertainment
  • J. Frank Dobie
    Literature and journalism
  • Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker
    Literature and journalism
  • Jessie Daniel Ames
    Politics
  • Joan Bray
    Politics
  • Robert L. Henry
    Politics
  • J. Marvin Jones
    Politics
Showing 1–12 of 19
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Southwestern University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southwestern.

What is the graduation rate at Southwestern University?

Southwestern University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 73% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Southwestern University?

Southwestern University reports a total enrollment of 1,440 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Southwestern University?

The average net price at Southwestern University is $29,224 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Southwestern University?

Southwestern University's yield rate is 13.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Southwestern University located?

Southwestern University is located in Georgetown, Texas 78626.

Who runs Institutional Research at Southwestern University?

Southwestern University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

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.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
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.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Southwestern University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Try for freeBook a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card