A Small School Near Springfield, Still Without a Carnegie Classification
Let’s start with the basics, because the basics already say quite a bit here. Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church is in Ozark, Missouri, within Christian County, and its campus is within the Springfield metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the center of that city: the census code places it in a suburb, within the urbanized area but outside the principal urban core. If your child plans to live at home and drive every day, do not rely on what the map says. Drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the exact time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the screen promises.
In the 2021 Carnegie Classification, the school appears outside the classified universe. That does not tell us why. And here is the first truth I want to make clear from the outset: that classification describes what type of school it is, not how good it is. Having no classification does not make it worse. It means Carnegie did not assign it one. Before paying for the first semester, ask admissions what accreditation it has and the exact credential it awards, and look up that name yourself on the Department of Education’s website. No Carnegie classification can spare you that call.
It is a private, two-year, nonprofit institution. IPEDS records the associate degree as the highest level it reports offering, within the category of schools that award associate degrees and certificates. That is an institutional fact, not a map of every program: it does not tell you what credential each individual program awards. If your child’s plan is to pursue a bachelor’s degree somewhere else later, this is not an alarm, but it is an urgent task: ask now what transfer agreements the school has and which courses will be accepted. Ask that beforehand, not after your child has already completed a year of coursework.
As for special designations, the school is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 institutions in this directory, 138 have at least one of the three designations. The fact that this one has none does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel there. You find that out by seeing which cultural centers and student organizations exist today and by speaking with someone who already attends the campus.
A Small Community, With Few Latino Students
This is where size really starts to matter. In fall 2023, Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church had 98 students enrolled across the entire institution. It is a very small school, within the official category of fewer than one thousand students. Compared with the 255 private two-year schools in this same census that report the data, it is on the smaller side: seven out of ten, or more, have more students. All 98 of those students are undergraduates; there was no graduate enrollment in that fall’s count. Almost all attend full time.
What does a school this small mean for your child? Neither better nor worse. It means you need to ask something very specific: whether the courses in your child’s program are offered every semester or only once a year. That determines how long it will actually take to finish.
As for who makes up that community: 4 out of every 100 undergraduate students identified as Hispanic or Latino in fall 2023. That is a small number. Among the 255 private two-year schools in this census, that share places it in the group’s bottom quarter. There are also very few adult students: only 2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. And there are more women than men: 56 out of every 100. IPEDS does not report where incoming students came from in this cycle; that information simply is not available.
I do not turn this into a verdict. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good on its own: this number counts who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child will be one of the few, the task is clear: ask what groups and support services exist, and speak with a Latino student who already attends before deciding. The number describes the school as a whole; your child’s experience may look different.
How the Academic Year Works and How Far the Credential Goes
The calendar is organized by semesters: two long terms of about fifteen weeks each. The school accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not check the box for credit for life experience, and in 2023 it stated that it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. Accepting AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam submitted: we do not know what score it requires or whether those credits will count toward your child’s specific program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
Now for the hardest part of this chapter: in the federal report on credentials awarded during the most recent cycle, the institution is not shown awarding any bachelor’s degrees. That does not make it unusual: of the 256 private two-year schools covered by this census, 254 are in exactly the same position; none awarded bachelor’s degrees that year. That is the nature of a two-year school, not an anomaly specific to this one. But this is a count from a single academic year, so a new program might not appear yet. If your child’s goal is a bachelor’s degree, the task remains the same one already mentioned: ask admissions, in writing, for the list of credentials the school awards today and its current transfer agreements.
As for class-group size, the reported ratio is 19 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. Compared with similar schools, it falls in the middle: neither among the lowest nor among the highest. This number does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class; IPEDS does not publish that information or the exact method used to calculate the ratio.
Getting In: What It Requires, What It Does Not, and How Likely It Is to Say Yes
Let’s turn to what probably interests you most at this point in the journey. Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church does not have open admission: it reviews certain items before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked three as required: the high school record, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies.
And here is something worth seeing clearly: the list of what it does not consider is longer than the list of what it requires. The decision does not consider the academic course plan completed, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, or whether a family member attended the school. IPEDS does not report the exact weight of each item, so this does not prove that GPA is the deciding factor, but it does send a clear signal: grades carry more weight here than your child’s personal story.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0. And if your child studied outside the United States or completed high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English proficiency exam applies and what would qualify your child for an exemption. This is one of those things families discover late, when there is no longer time to resolve it calmly.
How selective is it in practice? In the 2023 cycle, out of 132 first-time applicants, 94 were offered admission. That works out to 71 out of every 100. Seven or eight out of ten were accepted. Admission is not guaranteed, but this is also not a school that rejects most applicants. Your child has reason to apply, and also reason not to leave it until the last moment: that percentage comes from a single cycle, not a fixed rule of the institution, and it can change if applicant volume changes.
Of those who were accepted, only about half—47 out of every 100—ultimately enrolled there. The other half are not shown as enrolled at this institution; the data do not say whether they attended another school or why. This number does not measure quality or satisfaction; it only counts fall decisions. When your child receives letters from several schools, this percentage will not decide anything: place the letters side by side and compare net price, program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
As for the SAT and ACT, the school reported that it does not consider them in the admission decision, even if they are submitted. That does not say whether it uses them for scholarships or course placement; ask about that separately.
As for transfers, in fall 2023, 4 undergraduate students entered this school for the first time after studying at another institution. That is a number of people, not a proportion, and it is tied to the school’s small size. How many credits the school accepted for those students is another question only the school can answer.
The List Price: $31,042 per Year, All-In
At Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church, among 7 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 $19,746. Among 6 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,623; among 15 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $23,768. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $4,022 between the average for the lowest-income band (7 students) and the average for the highest-income band (15 students). Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $21,497.
$19,746 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 price quote for your child. The income bands 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 for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter you receive. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Aid That Reaches Students, and Debt That Is Almost the Norm Here
All degree- or certificate-seeking students in the year counted received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. The average amount of that aid among recipients was $7,555 per year. And 39 out of every 100 students received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families. A high number of students receiving aid is not a personal promise to your child: it is what happened to other students in a specific year. Ask in writing which applications must be completed, the deadlines, and what happens to the scholarship if your child’s grades fall.
Now for the part I want to say without softening it: at this school, leaving with a federal loan is the norm, not the exception. 95 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in academic year 2022–23. Compared with 256 private two-year schools in this census, it is among those with the highest shares of students receiving loans: at least nine out of ten of those schools had an equal or lower proportion.
Among students who received a loan, the average for the year was $7,031. If your child borrows a similar amount each year for the two years the program lasts, the total would be around $14,062, not including interest. That number is determined before the first signature, not at the end. And that average includes only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, or debt from banks or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduation; that number is not included in this report.
The fact that borrowing is common here does not determine whether your child will need to borrow. That depends on the specific financial aid letter and the difference between the net price and what your family can pay. If debt appears in the package, request an estimated monthly payment before accepting the letter. The school also reports an installment tuition payment plan as an option for managing the cost.
Campus Life: What Is Available, What Is Not Marked, and What Needs to Be Confirmed
The school does have its own housing, although it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest option. IPEDS reports a maximum housing capacity of 1,465 students, a figure that does not align with the current size of the student body and probably reflects installed capacity rather than actual occupancy. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed is available; the existence of a meal plan does not mean it is included in the price. Ask in writing for this year’s rate, the deadline to request a room, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list.
As for ROTC, the school did not mark any opportunity—not the general box or any of the three branches. Of the 843 two-year institutions in this guide, 45 did mark it; this school was not among them. That does not prove there is no nearby option; it only means none was reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask about it directly before ruling it out.
As for athletics, the school does not report membership in any of the five national athletic associations (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, USCAA, NCCAA), and the intercollegiate participation question is listed as not applicable in the federal record. This neither confirms nor rules out the existence of teams. If athletics matter to the decision, ask directly.
As for course format, it does offer distance education at the undergraduate level. Out of every 100 students, 17 took their entire course load online, and 83 took at least one class in person. The school reported that it does not have a complete program that can be completed entirely through distance education. Confirm the specific credential level and program if this matters to your child.
And here is a fact worth reading carefully: the institution stated that it did not have access to a library collection and that its library expenditures were zero. That explains why it did not complete that component of the report. It says nothing about study rooms, computers, or other campus support; the school does report having physical facilities, an organized collection, access to digital resources, established hours, and access to collections shared with other institutions. Both responses appear in the same report and are worth a direct call to understand what they mean in practice. It also reports a combined academic and career counseling service, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans organization, and a web address for disability services.
Who Stays and Who Finishes: The Hardest Part of the Report
Here we come to the numbers that carry the most weight, and I will not soften them. Of the cohort of 50 first-time, full-time students who entered in fall 2022, only 29 met the official retention criterion the following year: 58 out of every 100. Compared with 255 private two-year schools in this census, it ranks near the bottom: seven out of ten, or more, retained a larger share of their cohort. The remainder—the other 21 students—does not reveal their outcomes: the source does not say whether they transferred, changed plans, or left their studies. A low number here does not prove failure, but it does deserve a direct question during the visit: what happens to students who do not return for the second year, and what does the school do about it?
The graduation rate, following the cohort that entered in 2020, is 63 out of every 100 who completed a program within 150% of the normal time. It is a historical figure, not a forecast for your child, and it follows only first-time, full-time students, not transfer or part-time students.
And there is a third indicator, measured over eight years, that is worth examining because it tells a more complete story: of a cohort of 94 students who entered between 2015 and 2016, 64 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school as of August 2023. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was almost identical: 63 out of every 100. But there is an unusual part of the report that I would rather tell you exactly as it appears: the official indicator lists 0 out of every 100 as “still enrolled without a credential,” a figure that does not align well with the rest of the report because of how the reporting window is defined, and 36 out of every 100 appear with unknown enrollment status. Unknown does not mean they dropped out; it means the report was unable to determine what happened to them. With a cohort of only 94 people, these percentages can shift easily from year to year, so we do not compare the school with its peers on this measure.
Put plainly and without embellishment: slightly more than six out of ten students who entered here years ago ultimately earned a credential from this school. That is not a verdict about your child. It is real information about the path others traveled before, and one more reason to ask during the visit what specific support exists to keep the second year from becoming the exit point.
What You Already Know—and What Is Still Up to You
You now know in detail one important part of this decision: what type of school Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church is, how easy it is to get in, its list price and what a family similar to yours ultimately pays, who stays and who does not, and what specific questions you still need to ask.
This article does not tell you whether it is the right school for your child. That depends on what your child wants to study and has already built, and on what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article replaces those two conversations. But now, when you sit down to have them, you will arrive with a map of this part of the journey already in hand instead of driving blind.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily corresponding to the 2022–23 and 2023–24 cycles, as indicated for each figure. Best College Aid does not represent Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church or the United States government; this text organizes and explains public data and does not constitute personalized admissions advice.