None of this tells you whether Baker University is the right school for your child. That depends on what your child wants to study, what your family can afford, and how far from home you are willing to let your child go. But before making that decision comes something else, something simpler and more urgent: understanding what this university is, with data, without embellishment and without fear.
That is what we are going to do here.
Who Baker University Is and Where It Stands
Baker University is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. It is in Baldwin City, Kansas, in Douglas County, in an area that the federal system itself classifies as rural and far from any large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this matters immediately: work out separately where your child would live and what daily life would look like, because this information only locates the school’s address, not the journey your family would have to learn to make.
The Carnegie Classification system—the way the United States organizes universities according to what they do—places Baker University among doctoral and professional institutions. In a more recent measure based on data from 2019-20, it also appears as a small, primarily residential four-year school: between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least half studied full time. In another layer of that same classification, from 2021, it appears among institutions that enroll many transfer students. That label does not say how many credits they bring with them or how many they lose when they transfer: if your child is considering transferring here, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not.
The highest level the institution reports offering is the doctorate, and the federal system classifies it as a school that awards primarily bachelor’s degrees or higher-level degrees. That is aggregate institutional information: it does not mean that the specific program your child is interested in extends to that level. Verify the exact pathway for the program that matters to your child.
One more thing worth clarifying at the outset: Baker University is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. These are three distinct designations with distinct histories—of the 3,012 universities in this census, only 138 have at least one of the three. Having none of them does not tell you which students the university serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which student organizations and cultural centers exist today, and confirm this by speaking with someone who already studies on campus.
A Small Community, With Few Latino Students and a Sizable Graduate Population
Here we come to one of the numbers that carries the most weight for many families who read us. Of the undergraduate students Baker University reported in the fall of 2023, 9 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the figure, Baker falls below the midpoint of the group.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the question is not rhetorical: which student groups exist, what support is available, and what does someone who is already there tell you? The number is for the school as a whole; your child’s experience in a particular major may look different.
The rest of the picture: adults from 25 to 64 years old are a minority among undergraduates (11 out of every 100). The split between men and women is nearly even, with 54 women out of every 100 students. Just over half of incoming students, 55 out of every 100, came from the same state.
As for size, Baker University had 1,945 students in the official fall count, placing it in the middle range compared with similar schools. But that overall figure includes graduate enrollment: it is divided between 1,457 undergraduate students and 488 people who have already completed a degree. If your child is entering college to pursue a first bachelor’s degree, the relevant number is 1,457, not the total.
How the Academic Year Works and What Prior Credit It Accepts
Baker University organizes its academic year by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution stated that it accepts credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls “credit for life experience”—learning acquired through independent study, work, a portfolio, prior licenses, or military opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolls high school students in college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is a hard truth you should not skip: the school’s reporting of these two pathways does not mean your child will automatically receive credit for them. It does not say what AP scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward the specific program your child is interested in. Request a written evaluation of course equivalencies before enrolling. Do not budget for savings in time or money until you have it in hand.
As for degrees awarded, Baker University granted 288 bachelor’s degrees in one year, distributed across 17 fields of study. The largest field was business and management, with 29 out of every 100 degrees, but no other area accounts for the bulk of the offerings. This counts degrees awarded in one year, not people or the current catalog of majors. Before deciding, ask directly about the program your child is interested in: how many students graduate from it, how long it takes them, and what the curriculum is like.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 12 to 1. On the general scale, that is considered low. But compared with schools of the same type, it is above the median: half or more of those schools reported an equal or lower ratio. Both statements are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of a first-year class. Ask about that separately.
The institution also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and preparation for teacher certification, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
Admissions: A Wide Door, With Specific Requirements
This is where many families breathe easier, and rightly so. Baker University reported 911 first-time applicants in 2023 and offered admission to 839. That is 92 out of every 100. Compared with nearly one thousand selective private schools in this census, it is on the more accessible side: seven out of ten of those schools accepted an equal or lower percentage.
But “accessible” does not mean “without requirements.” The institution stated that it does not have open admissions: it reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether that exam is required and what qualifies for an exemption—it is one of those things people discover late, complicating an otherwise well-constructed plan.
Class rank and the personal essay are considered if submitted, although they are not required. The published application fee is $0.
Now, a figure that often comes as a surprise: out of every 100 students Baker University admitted for the first year in 2023, only 28 ultimately enrolled. The other 72 had an acceptance letter in hand and decided to go elsewhere. This does not measure how difficult admission is—we already saw that—but rather what other families decided after receiving an acceptance. When your child’s admission decisions arrive, this number will not decide anything for you either: place the offers side by side and compare net price, academic program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding standardized tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. Fewer than 1 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted an SAT score, and only 19 submitted ACT scores, with a median of 17. These samples are too small to be read as either a threshold or a stable characteristic of the school.
And here is something invaluable for calibrating graduation expectations later: within a cohort that entered in 2017 seeking bachelor’s degrees, 29 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing a degree here, a share on the high side compared with similar schools. A student who transfers does not count as a Baker University graduate, even if that student finishes a degree elsewhere. Keep that information in mind: it will be useful when we get to graduation rates.
Cost: What the Sticker Price Says
At Baker University, among 38 full-time, first-time students who were seeking a credential, received federal Title IV aid, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $18,256. Among 30 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,669; among 55 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $27,999. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (38 students) and the average for the highest-income band (55 students) is $9,743. Among first-year students who received any grant aid, the average was $23,410.
$18,256 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe full-time, first-time students who were seeking a credential and received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students with grant aid, when shown, describes full-time, first-time students who were seeking a credential and received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
How Students Pay: Grants, Loans, and Options
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Baker University, 85 received a grant or other aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the annual average was $14,101. That average is not distributed across all students: it counts only those who actually received something.
The federal Pell Grant, reserved for families with demonstrated financial need, reached 32 out of every 100 students. The difference between that 85 and that 32 may include state, institutional, or other sources of aid that this breakdown does not allow us to attribute precisely. It is worth asking directly which programs make up that difference and what each one requires.
Regarding loans, 44 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022-23. Those who did borrow took on an average of $9,035 in a single academic year. Compared with similar schools, this share of students with loans is on the low side.
Here is a hard truth, stated plainly: this percentage describes other families, not yours. This number does not determine which of the two groups your child will fall into—the one that made it through the year without debt or the one that borrowed. The aid letter sent to your child will determine that. And that average of $9,035 covers only federal loans in the student’s name for one year: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, credit card debt, or the total from several years. That larger figure is not in this report, and you should ask about it yourself before making a commitment.
The institution also reports an installment tuition payment plan as a formal mechanism for managing the cost.
Campus Life, Learning Formats, and Available Support
Baker University has its own housing, although it is not required for all full-time, first-time students. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The reported maximum capacity of institution-owned housing is 576 students. The existence of a room does not guarantee an available bed: request the annual rate and housing application deadline in writing, and ask whether you are guaranteed a place or will be put on a waiting list.
If your child is interested in ROTC, the school reports opportunities in two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked. Its appearance in the report does not mean the program is taught on this campus or that places are guaranteed: ask about the program by name before building a plan around it.
In athletics, Baker University competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. The affiliation belongs to the school, not to your child: if your child is interested, write directly to the coach and ask about roster spots, division, and whether that sport awards scholarships.
Regarding distance education, the school offers it at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 11 took their entire course load online, while the other 89 took at least one class in person. It also reports at least one complete program available through distance education, although the data do not confirm the specific level. Confirm the exact program and delivery format before assuming anything.
The library operates with paid staff and annual spending above the threshold recorded by the federal government ($100,000). It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Reported support services include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students and graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, a student veterans organization, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities.
Retention and Graduation: What the Numbers Say and What They Do Not
We have reached the most delicate part, and it deserves to be read slowly.
Of a cohort of 229 full-time, first-time students who entered in the fall of 2022, 170 met the official retention criterion: 74 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar schools, Baker falls slightly below the midpoint of the group. The source does not distinguish between “still studying here” and “already graduated,” nor does it explain what happened to the rest.
Regarding graduation, IPEDS followed 256 full-time, first-time students who began bachelor’s degree programs in 2017. After six years, 152 had graduated from Baker University: 59 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 47 out of every 100—a difference of twelve points. Compared with similar schools, the six-year rate falls below the midpoint of the group.
This is where it helps to remember what we saw earlier: 29 out of every 100 students from that same cohort transferred to another school. Those students do not count as Baker University graduates, even if they completed their degrees elsewhere. The published rate does not allow you to reconstruct precisely what happened to everyone who does not appear as having graduated here: a missing entry is not the same as a confirmed dropout.
There is a broader eight-year measure that follows a cohort of 551 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including both full-time and part-time students. As of August 2023, 64 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Within that same cohort, students who received a Pell Grant graduated in 54 out of every 100 cases—15 points below those who did not receive one.
We do not know why that difference exists. The report does not say, and we are not going to invent an explanation either. What you can do is ask the school very clearly: what counseling is assigned to students with Pell Grants, what emergency aid is available, and whether internal scholarships are renewed each year. Ask for the answers in writing.
What You Now Know, and What Comes Next
You now understand Baker University with a clarity few parents have before beginning their research: a small, rural school with a wide entry door but specific requirements, a high sticker price that most of its students do not pay in full, and graduation rates that require you to ask specifically what happens to students who do not appear in the final count.
None of this tells you whether it is the right school for your child. That depends on three things this article cannot know: what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. If you live far from Kansas, travel and distance enter into that calculation. If your child’s intended program is highly specific, ask about it by name, not about the average for the entire school. If Pell is part of your child’s aid, ask directly what support that group receives.
It is your child’s responsibility to decide what to study, work hard, and take ownership of their part of the journey. It is your responsibility to understand the family’s finances, request the letters in writing, compare before signing, and not let a teenager carry alone the burden of a system they are only beginning to learn. You already have one piece of the map. Combine it with the other two, and a plan will emerge.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by Baker University to the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Baker University or the United States government, and this article does not constitute personalized admissions advice.