What kind of school it is
Butler University is a private, nonprofit, four-year university. The Carnegie system, which classifies the country's universities according to what they do, places it among master's universities with larger programs and also reports that the doctorate is the highest level it offers. That is an institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific program your child is interested in goes up to that level or whether its undergraduate and graduate programs are connected. You confirm that by asking about the exact program.
Carnegie also describes it as highly residential: at the time of that count, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduates lived in institution-owned or affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. It also places Butler in the more selective admissions group in its undergraduate profile. That label does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants get in—that number appears below, and it will surprise you—or whether it makes sense for your child to move away from home. Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition: room and board are charged separately, as you will see in the cost section.
Butler University has none of the three federal designations families sometimes look for: it is not a historically Black university, a tribal university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Butler's lack of such a designation says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
Where it is. Butler is in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Marion County, within the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a principal city with a population of at least 250,000. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what is nearby for daily life; you need to investigate that separately. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
How many students there are and who they are
Butler had an official fall enrollment of 5,763 students. It is neither a small school nor an enormous one; it falls in the 5,000 to 9,999 range. Compared with the 941 selective-admission, private four-year schools in this census, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten of those schools have more students.
But that total combines two different groups: 4,519 are undergraduates and 1,244 are graduate students. If your child is starting a bachelor's degree, the number that matters is 4,519, not the overall total of 5,763. A significant part of that large figure consists of people who have already completed a bachelor's degree and returned for another credential.
As for who shares the classroom with your child: 7 out of every 100 undergraduates are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 941 similar schools in this census, Butler ranks below the midpoint of the group. That neither removes Butler from the list nor puts it on the list. It is simply information about who is enrolled. If your child will be one of the few, ask during the visit which student group or cultural center exists, or who in the office speaks Spanish, and talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. The number is for the entire school; your child's program may look different.
Other features of the community: women outnumber men among undergraduates, at 60 out of every 100. There are almost no adult students: 1 out of every 100 is between 25 and 64 years old. And slightly more than half of first-time students, 51 out of every 100, were from Indiana when they applied.
How the academic year works
The calendar is semester-based: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Butler reported accepting credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses, previous certifications, and military or government opportunities—and reports accepting credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the hard truth that should be stated plainly: Butler's reporting that it accepts AP does not mean your child will receive credit for any particular exam. It does not say what score is required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward your child's specific program. Request a written equivalency evaluation before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for degrees: in the reported year, the number of bachelor's degrees Butler awarded was 852, distributed across 22 program families—what the government calls CIP families—although some of those rows report no degrees. By far, the largest family was business and management: 257 of the 852 degrees, or 30 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar schools, Butler ranks in the top quarter for the number of program families represented in its bachelor's-degree detail—a broad offering on paper, although the presence of an offering in a row does not guarantee that students are enrolled in it. If your child is interested in something outside business, verify the exact program: 22 families in the report do not mean 22 active programs.
Regarding the scale of faculty attention: the official student-to-faculty ratio, using full-time equivalents, is 11 students per faculty member. Compared with 941 similar schools, it falls below the midpoint—a low ratio. But this aggregate number does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes. It is an institutional average, not a promise of a small classroom.
What Butler offers beyond the classroom
Butler reports several structured academic pathways: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, preparation for teacher certification below the bachelor's-degree level, the option to complete certain teacher-specialization areas there, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification. These are opportunities reported by the institution; they do not indicate availability, cost, or whether they apply to your child's program. They are a list of questions for the admissions office, not a guarantee.
Getting into Butler: what they require and what actually happens
This is where many families are surprised. Butler reports that it does not have open admission: it reviews application materials before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks four as required: the high school transcript, GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other items are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience. The published application fee is $50.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English exam applies and what qualifies for an exemption. This is one of the things families discover late.
And now the number that disrupts the “highly selective” label: in the 2023 cycle, Butler received 9,431 applications and offered admission to 8,098 applicants. That is 86 out of every 100. Compared with 942 selective-admission, private four-year schools, it is on the more accessible side: seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, accepted an equal or smaller proportion. Even so, 1,333 applicants did not receive an offer. Carnegie's “more selective” label and this acceptance rate coexist because they describe different things; neither cancels out the other.
A likely admission does not make what comes next easy. That rate does not tell you how much attendance will cost, how many students finish, or whether your child's specific program has its own internal screening process. Those three questions must be asked separately, and you will see them addressed below.
Here is another number worth facing directly: out of every 100 admitted students, only 14 enrolled. Put another way, for every 7 students who receive a yes from Butler, about one decides to attend. Compared with similar schools, Butler is on the lower side for this measure. Do not read that as a blemish: the federal record does not say why each person made that choice, and this says nothing about the school's quality. What matters is this: what others decided does not tell you what Butler will offer you. Wait for your own letter showing the net price—what it would actually cost your family—before deciding whether Butler stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Butler. If you submit them, they are considered; if you do not, the application remains valid. Among enrolled students, 35 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high proportion compared with similar schools—and, among those students, the middle half scored between 590 and 680 in reading and writing and between 590 and 680 in mathematics. That range applies to students who enrolled and submitted scores, not to all applicants. It is neither a minimum for admission nor a guarantee if your child reaches it.
About transfers: among the bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 16 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing at Butler. It is a common proportion, near the midpoint among similar schools. Transferring is not failing, but your child should know in advance how to request the necessary records if a move becomes necessary. Separately, in the fall of 2023, 91 students entered Butler for the first time after studying at another college. This figure does not say how many courses Butler accepted: request that information in writing, with the credit list in hand, before moving your child.
The price: what the list says and what each person pays
At Butler University, among 87 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $28,607. Among 80 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $36,016; among 314 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $42,961. For dependent students, the bracket combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income bracket, which included 87 students, and the average for the highest-income bracket, which included 314 students, is $14,354. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $40,140.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control in this census that reported this measure with the same time coverage, Butler falls in the most expensive quarter for the lowest-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you should request the financial-aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income bracket to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income brackets in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial-aid letter you receive is what matters.
The aid that reaches students, and the aid that seldom does
The good news, stated plainly: 94 out of every 100 degree-seeking Butler students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is common here, not the exception. Among recipients, the average is $24,318 per year—although that average includes people who received much more and people who received much less.
Now the part that needs to be said directly, without softening it: the Pell Grant, which is federal aid for low-income families, reached only 14 out of every 100 students. That means at least 80 out of every 100 received aid from somewhere else—from the university itself, the state, or another source—and not from Pell. The report does not separate the source of each grant or scholarship, so it cannot tell you exactly what your child would receive. Ask directly: who provides that aid, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
Regarding loans: 42 out of every 100 Butler undergraduates received a federal loan in 2022-23—more than two out of every ten, but less than half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower that year was $6,995. Compared with similar schools, Butler is on the lower side for the proportion of students with a loan. This average covers only one year and only federal loans in the student's name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans taken out by parents, bank debt, or the total debt with which someone graduates. That number is not in this report.
As for payment options, Butler reports offering a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan.
Campus life, learning formats, and support
Butler does have its own housing. It does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—which does not mean that no program requires it; verify yours. It has meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. IPEDS reports a maximum institutional-housing capacity of 2,459 students. The existence of rooms does not guarantee a bed: request the year's rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
Butler reports Army ROTC; Navy and Air Force are not marked in the report. Not confirmed does not mean impossible—it means you need to ask directly, including whether the program takes place on this campus or another one.
It competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The report does not state the division, roster availability, or whether athletic aid exists for each sport; ask the coach directly and get the answer in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although almost no one uses it exclusively: only 1 out of every 100 undergraduates take all their classes at a distance. It also reports at least one program that can be completed entirely through distance education, although the report does not confirm whether that specific program is undergraduate or graduate.
The library has paid staff, annual spending above the government-recorded threshold of $100,000, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. That is the baseline, not a guarantee that databases are available for your child's program: ask by program name.
Butler also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a point of contact for veterans and members of the military, a student veterans organization, and a published webpage for disability services. The reporting of these services says nothing about their quality or effectiveness; it is information for starting questions, not for making assumptions.
Those who stay and those who finish
There are three different measures here that are worth examining carefully and should not be mixed together.
Retention. Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 88 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Butler or had already completed a bachelor's degree one year later. Compared with 930 similar schools, Butler ranks toward the top. But this figure combines two different groups—those who remain enrolled and those who have already finished—and does not say what happened to the rest.
Graduation within six years. Of the cohort that entered in 2017, consisting of 978 first-time, full-time students, 769 had earned a degree six years later: 79 out of every 100. By four years, the figure had already reached 72 out of every 100—just 7 points lower, an indication that a large share finish within the standard time. Compared with 920 similar schools, Butler ranks in the top quarter. From that same cohort, 160 transferred and continued at another school, 3 remained enrolled without finishing, and 46 were classified as “no longer enrolled”—a category that does not explain why and may include people who finished after the deadline.
A high number is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort of 2017. What is in your hands, and your child's, is making sure the credits are in order from the first semester and that your child knows who the advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the program.
Within eight years, following a different cohort that entered in 2015-16—including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and students with previous college experience—83 out of every 100 had earned a Butler degree or certificate. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 72 out of every 100—13 points below the figure for nonrecipients. It is a real gap and worth asking the school about directly: what advising it assigns, what emergency aid exists, and whether institutional aid is renewed each year, all in writing.
What you already know and what remains for you to discover
You now know quite a bit about Butler University: what kind of school it is, who attends it, what it requires for admission, what it costs on paper and what families at different income levels pay in practice, how much aid reaches students and where it comes from, and how likely a student is to stay and finish.
None of this replaces the other two parts of the plan. Butler can admit, can offer aid, and can open the door—that is the university's part. What your child wants to study, how hard your child has worked to get here, and how far away your child is willing to live: that is your child's part. And what your family can truly afford after the aid letter, with which signatures and which schedules: that is your part.
Put the three pieces together and you will have a plan, not just a list of colleges with attractive names. Butler University is a real possibility, backed by concrete numbers. What you do with them is now a decision for you and your child.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Butler University to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as indicated for each figure. Best College Aid does not represent Butler University or the United States government; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.