What follows is not an opinion about whether it is “good” or “bad.” It is what the United States government, through IPEDS, records about it: who studies there, how much it costs, how people get in, and what happens to those who stay and those who do not. You put this piece together with what your child wants to study and what your family can afford. A plan emerges from those three things together. This piece is only one of the three, but it is worth understanding thoroughly.
Where it is and what kind of school it is
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in Knox County. The area around the campus is a town setting, away from major urban areas. That does not tell you how far it is from your home or how long the trip would take—you calculate that yourself—but it does tell you something important for planning: if your child goes there, your child will probably move.
And your child will probably live on campus. Carnegie, the system that classifies United States colleges and universities by what they do, designates it as “highly residential”: at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students live in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition. Room and board are charged separately, and they are almost never presented together in the first brochure you receive. Ask for them separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. IPEDS records a master’s degree as the highest level it reports offering and classifies it as a degree-granting institution that primarily awards bachelor’s degrees or higher. That is general institutional information: it does not tell you whether your child’s specific major exists there or whether it connects undergraduate and graduate study. That must be asked program by program.
One more thing, and it is worth stating clearly: Mount Vernon Nazarene University is not recorded as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; this one is not among them. That does not say which students it serves, how many Latino students are there, or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
A small campus, and very few Latino students
With 1,845 students enrolled in the official fall count, Mount Vernon Nazarene University is midsized—neither among the largest nor the smallest compared with the other 941 similar selective private schools. Of that total, 1,631 are undergraduates and 214 are graduate students: it is primarily an undergraduate institution. There are more women than men—60 out of every 100—and 16 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old, so this is not solely a campus of recent high school graduates.
Here is a number that deserves your attention: 3 out of every 100 undergraduate students identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. That is one of the lowest proportions among the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the data—nine out of ten of those schools report a higher proportion.
That does not take the school off your list, nor does it automatically put it on the list. It counts who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child ended up being one of the few, the question is not whether the number is high or low—it is what exists there for your child: a student group, a cultural center, someone in the office who speaks Spanish. You find that out during the visit, not in this table.
How the academic year works
The calendar follows semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported that it accepts credit for AP exams and also what IPEDS calls “credit for life experience”—learning through independent study, work, portfolios, licenses, or military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is a truth I will not sugarcoat: the school’s statement that it accepts AP does not mean it will award credit for any exam you take. It does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not include those savings in the budget until you have it in hand.
As for what students study: in the most recently reported year, the university awarded 344 bachelor’s degrees across 19 fields of study. The largest was business and administration, with 21 out of every 100 degrees—no other field exceeded it, but it does not account for the bulk of the degrees either. The offerings are broad, not concentrated in just one area. Nineteen fields with a row in the report do not mean nineteen distinct majors or the complete current catalog: verify the exact program that interests your child.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. Compared with schools of the same type, it is low in absolute terms, but it is slightly above the median for its peers. Both things are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of a classroom: that information is not included in this figure.
The institution also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, undergraduate research, developmental education for credit, and several pathways related to teacher certification, including state approval of the program for initial teacher certification.
Admission is not automatic, but it is not a wall either
Here is something many families mistakenly assume: that “it is not a well-known school” means “admission is easy with no conditions.” That is not the case. Mount Vernon Nazarene University reported that it does not have an open-admissions policy. It reviews several things before saying yes.
Of nine possible admissions 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. This is one of those things families discover late, and you should not leave it until the end.
Other components are not required, but they are considered if submitted: class rank, the academic course plan, the personal essay, and letters of recommendation. The report does not say how much weight each one carries in the final decision.
Now for the numbers that do matter when setting expectations: of 1,134 first-time applicants in the 2023 cycle, 956 received an offer of admission. That is 84 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, it is on the high side—seven out of ten of those schools accepted an equal or smaller percentage. Put simply: eight or nine out of every ten applicants receive a yes. That does not make the application automatic or something to leave until the last minute. And that number comes from a single cycle—it is not a permanent rule at the institution. Check it again when it is your child’s turn.
Here is a figure that is genuinely surprising: out of every 100 admitted students, only 28 ultimately enrolled. The other 72 had an acceptance letter in hand and did not attend. Compared with its peers, that proportion of admitted students who enrolled is high—at most similar schools, a smaller share of admitted students enrolls. But this figure does not measure how difficult admission is, quality, or whether people left satisfied. It counts other families’ decisions. When your child’s letters arrive, place them side by side and compare net price, major, and distance—not this percentage.
The SAT and ACT are not required here. If submitted, they are considered; if they are not, the application remains equally valid. Of the students who enrolled, only 12 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among them the middle half scored between 485 and 610 in reading and writing and between 478 and 618 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who actually enrolled, not all applicants, and that 485 is not a minimum nor is that 610 a guarantee.
Regarding transfers: in the fall of 2023, 73 students entered after attending another higher-education institution. How many credits were accepted is a separate question that must be asked directly of the school. The transfer-out rate—how many leave this institution for another one—is not reported in this file. That does not prove that nobody transfers; it only means there is no public data.
The sticker price and what is actually paid
At Mount Vernon Nazarene University, among 29 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 $17,598. Among 46 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $19,173; among 73 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $26,244. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (29 students) and the average for the highest-income band (73 students) is $8,646. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $23,293.
$17,598 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in the 2022-23 academic year. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide 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 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 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 it is paid for: grants, scholarships, and loans
A large majority receives something: 88 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid, with an average of $23,168 among those who receive it. That is real money, but an average conceals a great deal—some receive much more and some receive much less. It is not a price; it is only a discount from a sticker price.
Pell, the federal aid program for low-income families, reached 33 out of every 100 students.
And here is the hard truth in this section: 57 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan last year. That is more than half. Financing an education with debt is common here, not the exception. Among those who borrowed, the average was $6,545 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the program’s four years, the total—before interest—would be around $26,180. That decision is made before signing the first document, not at the end of the degree program.
That average covers only federal loans taken out in the student’s name during one year. It does not include what parents borrow separately through PLUS loans, bank debt, or credit cards, and it is not the total debt with which someone graduates. Calculating that would require adding all four years, and that figure is not available in any public report.
The institution also offers a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan for those who prefer to spread out the charges instead of paying them all at once.
Housing, athletics, and what is available on campus
There is institution-controlled housing, with capacity for 1,076 students. It is not required for all first-time, full-time students—but that does not mean no program requires it; ask about your child’s specific situation. The availability of rooms does not guarantee a bed: ask in writing for the annual rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child could be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC: in its report, the university did not mark any ROTC opportunity, either the general option or any specific branch. Of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide, 926 did mark one—this institution did not. That does not prove there is no nearby option; it only means none was reported here. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NAIA, not the NCAA, with reported participation in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That does not tell you whether there is a place on a team for your child or whether your child’s sport offers scholarships—ask the coach directly, in writing.
It also offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the fall count, 29 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes remotely—a high proportion compared with similar schools. That does not say whether your child’s specific major is offered online or on campus; one major may be offered almost entirely online while the one next to it is offered almost entirely in person.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary loan. The university also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for service members and their families, and a disability-services webpage. The fact that these services are reported does not tell you how good they are or how quickly they respond—that is something to ask about during the visit.
Who stays and who finishes
Here we reach the part that almost always weighs most heavily in a family’s decision: how likely is it that my child will finish?
Of a cohort of 288 first-time, full-time students who entered in 2022, 80% met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. That is slightly above the midpoint among its 930 peers in this census. Put simply: more stayed than left. But this figure does not distinguish those who continued studying from those who had already graduated, and it does not explain what happened to the remaining 20%—leaving does not always mean abandoning one’s studies; sometimes it means transferring elsewhere and continuing there.
Of a cohort of 330 students who began bachelor’s-degree programs in 2017, 210 graduated from this institution within six years: 64 out of every 100. Using a four-year timeframe, the figure falls to 55 out of every 100—a nine-point difference between waiting four years and waiting six. Compared with 920 peers, it is above the group median. This rate does not include students who transferred in or those who started part time, and the available data does not allow a complete reconstruction of what happened to the rest of the original cohort. A blank space is not equivalent to a zero.
There is a third measure, at eight years, that takes a broader view: of a cohort of 553 students who entered between 2015 and 2016—combining full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who already had prior college experience—61 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by the August 2023 reporting date. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 58 out of every 100, five points below the figure for those who did not receive one. Compared with 935 peers, this eight-year figure falls below the group median.
Here is a note of honesty worth stating directly: 18 out of every 100 members of that eight-year cohort had an “unknown enrollment status”—the report was unable to determine whether they were still enrolled anywhere. Unknown does not mean they dropped out; it simply means there is no certain information. The figures do not add up perfectly to 100 because the categories overlap and there are real gaps in what could be tracked.
What this information leaves you with, and what remains in your hands
You now know something concrete about Mount Vernon Nazarene University: a small private university in an Ohio town, with relatively accessible admission, few Latino students, a sticker price that drops considerably when aid is included, and graduation rates that, depending on the timeframe examined, are near or slightly above the average for its peers—with more than half of its students receiving a federal loan along the way.
None of these numbers makes the decision for you. None predicts what will happen specifically to your child there—they are averages and proportions for entire groups, not an individual story. Your child has a part to play: the effort put in, the curiosity brought along, the major chosen, and the way your child adapts. You have your part: understand your family’s actual finances, request the financial aid letter in writing, and verify what remains an open question here—AP credits, guaranteed housing, ROTC, and the exact program that interests your child—before it is time to sign anything.
Combine this information with what your child wants to study and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan that truly works for your family comes from those three things together—not from any one of them alone.
Source note: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and public reports from the United States Department of Education, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, with graduation and retention data from earlier cohorts as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent Mount Vernon Nazarene University or any government agency; this article organizes and explains official information that is already public.