I am not going to tell you whether Tabor College is the right school for your child. No article can tell you that. What I can do is show you, using the official figures, what kind of institution it is, how it handles admissions, how much it costs, how much aid it provides, and what happens to the students who enroll. You put this information alongside what your child wants to study and what your family can afford. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
What Kind of School It Is and Where It Stands
Tabor College is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution. The Carnegie system, which classifies the nation’s colleges by what they do, describes it as a baccalaureate college with diverse fields of study: it does not specialize in a single area. It is also a highly residential school, according to the most recent classification available: at least half of its degree-seeking undergraduate students live in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time.
That does not mean living on campus is free. Room and board are charged separately from tuition, and we will return to that.
IPEDS, the federal data system underlying this entire article, also records it as an institution that offers education through the master’s level—it does not offer research doctorates—and that enrolls, proportionally, many transfer students compared with other institutions of its type. If your child is considering coming to Tabor College after studying somewhere else, that is a reason to ask questions, not a guarantee: request in writing which courses will count and which will not. The “high transfer-in” label does not say how many credits students bring with them or how many are lost along the way.
As for location, Tabor College is in Hillsboro, in Marion County, Kansas. The area around the campus is classified as remote rural; it is not within a large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, that is a separate question you need to resolve: where your child would live, how your child would get there, and how long the trip would be if your child decided to come home for a weekend. The official data locates the school’s address; it does not locate your family.
One final piece of its identity is easy to address: Tabor College does not have any of the three special designations tracked by the government—it is not 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 carry at least one of those three labels. The fact that Tabor College is not among them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child would feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, which student organizations are active, and, better yet, whether you can speak with someone who already studies there.
A Small Community and What That Means
Tabor College had 664 students enrolled in the most recent official fall count. It is a small school: it falls within the band of fewer than 1,000 students. Compared with 941 selective private four-year schools in this same census, it is on the smaller side—seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, have more students. Of those 664 students, 581 are undergraduates and 83 are graduate students: this is primarily a school for bachelor’s degrees.
Being small does not make it better or worse. It does change one practical question worth asking directly: are the courses in the major your child is interested in offered every semester, or only once a year? The answer affects how long it takes to graduate.
As for who makes up that community, 14 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority—although compared with 941 similar selective private schools, Tabor College ranks above the midpoint of that group without reaching the highest quartile. That comparison has a real limitation: it is constructed by school type, not by state, and Kansas affects this number in a way the comparison does not adjust for.
Put plainly, there are few Latino students here. That does not remove the school from your list, but it does make this a question worth asking during a visit: what is available for Latino students, whether there is a student group or cultural center, and whether anyone in the office speaks Spanish.
Other facts about the community: there are practically no adult students—only 1 out of every 100 is between 25 and 64 years old—there are more men than women among undergraduates (41 out of every 100 are women), and just over half of first-time students, 57 out of every 100, were from Kansas when they applied.
How Academics Work
The academic year at Tabor College is organized into 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 experiences”—learning acquired through independent study, work, portfolios, prior licenses, or other avenues. Reporting that it accepts such credit does not mean your child will receive it automatically: request a written evaluation of equivalencies before enrolling, and do not count that savings in the family budget until it is confirmed. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
In the most recent year reported, Tabor College awarded 89 bachelor’s degrees across 18 academic program families. The program family awarding the most degrees was business and management, with 26 out of every 100 degrees—no other field exceeded it, but it did not account for a majority either. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, Tabor College falls within the quartile awarding the fewest degrees each year. Eighteen program families do not mean eighteen exact majors, nor do they guarantee that the one your child wants is active today: verify the specific program.
Regarding class size, one figure is often misunderstood: Tabor College reports 15 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. On the general scale, that falls within the middle band. But compared specifically with schools of its type, it falls within the quartile with the highest ratio—three out of four schools in that group, or more, report a lower ratio. Both interpretations are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of a first-year class: that information is not included in this figure.
Tabor College also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken during evenings or weekends, and several pathways related to teacher certification, including state approval of its program for initial teacher certification.
How Admissions Work and Who Enrolls
Here is something worth understanding clearly because it changes the tone of the entire family conversation: Tabor College does not have open admissions. It reviews application materials before saying yes. Of the nine admissions considerations tracked by this report, it marked three as required: the high school record, high school GPA, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. The personal essay and whether a family member attended the school are not required, but they are considered if submitted.
On that last point, if no one in your family attended Tabor College, do not spend energy on it. Put that energy into what is within your control—the academic record, the GPA, and, if applicable, the essay.
The application fee is $50.
Now for the hard numbers on how selective it is in practice. In the most recent admissions cycle reported, Tabor College received 585 first-time applications. Of those, 378 received offers of admission: 65 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, that percentage ranks near the middle, slightly below the midpoint of the group. Admission is neither guaranteed nor a lottery. The application is reviewed.
But being admitted is not the same as enrolling, and here the number moves in another direction. Of every 100 students Tabor College admitted for the first year, only 34 ultimately enrolled there. The other 66 had an acceptance letter in hand and did not take the offer. Compared with similar schools, that 34 ranks on the high side—at most of those schools, an even smaller proportion enrolls. Put simply, of every three young people who receive a yes from Tabor College, about one decides to attend. The other two already had a place there and chose something else. This number does not measure quality, prestige, or whether people were satisfied; it counts only how many decided to enroll. When the admission letters arrive at your home, put them side by side and compare net price, academic program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required at Tabor College. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains equally valid. In practice, almost no one submits them: only 5 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, representing just 6 students—a sample too small for any score range to be treated as a reliable threshold.
As for transfers, in the most recent count, 51 undergraduate students entered Tabor College for the first time after studying at another institution. How many credits the school accepted is a separate question to ask directly. The transfer-out rate—how many students who enroll there leave for another institution—is not reported in this file. That does not prove that no one transfers; it means only that the field is blank.
What It Costs, in Real Numbers
At Tabor College, among 34 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 $18,085. Among 14 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $22,280; among 27 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $21,354. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (34 students) and the average for the highest-income band (27 students) is $3,269. Among first-time students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $19,998.
$18,085 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 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 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 aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
The Aid It Provides and the Debt It Leaves
At Tabor College, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received a grant or scholarship that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm here. Among those who received it, the average was $25,305 per year—a large figure, but an average hides those who received much more and those who received much less. In addition, 41 out of every 100 students received a federal Pell Grant, the aid intended for low-income families.
An average grant or scholarship of $25,305 is real money. But it is not a price. What determines how much you will pay is the amount left after that aid, and you have to request that figure from each school in the admission letter.
And here comes the hard truth, the one that cannot be cushioned: in the most recent academic year, 57 out of every 100 Tabor College undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Financing an education with debt is common here, not the exception. Among those who borrowed, each took out an average of $6,257 that year. If your child borrows a similar amount every year for all four years of the degree, the total would be around $25,028, not counting interest. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, that proportion of students with loans ranks near the middle: neither among the highest nor among the lowest.
That number is decided before the first signature, not at the end. And an important clarification: that average of $6,257 includes only federal loans in the student’s name for one year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit card debt. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduation—for that, the four years would have to be added together, and that number is not in this report.
Tabor College also reports an installment tuition payment plan as a way to manage costs.
Campus Life, Without Embellishment
Tabor College has institution-controlled housing, but it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—that rules out a universal requirement; it does not mean that no individual program has its own requirement. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan. IPEDS reports a maximum institutional housing capacity of 569 students, on or off campus. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available when your child requests one: ask about the rate for the year, the housing application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or applicants are placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Tabor College did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its most recent report, either in the general field or for any specific branch. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 marked at least one. Tabor College was not among them. If your child’s plan depends on ROTC, ask admissions directly before ruling out the school: this field shows what was reported, not necessarily everything that exists.
In athletics, Tabor College does compete at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This membership belongs to the school, not to your child: if your child is interested in playing, contact the coach for that sport directly and ask whether there is a place on the team, which division they compete in, and whether that sport awards athletic scholarships.
Regarding course delivery, Tabor College offers distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and reports at least one complete program that can be finished remotely. But in practice, only 3 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their courses through distance education in the most recent count; the other 97 took at least one course in person. If your child’s plan is to study entirely online, confirm the exact level and program before assuming that it applies.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital materials, and offers interlibrary lending. Its annual spending exceeded the threshold of $100,000 that the government uses as a benchmark. The data do not show its hours or whether someone is available to guide your child in finding materials: ask those questions directly.
Finally, Tabor College reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students and graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military families, and a webpage dedicated to services for people with disabilities.
Who Stays and Who Graduates
This is the section where the numbers require the most care, because it is easy to confuse a figure with a judgment.
From the cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered Tabor College, 151 students began in the most recently measured fall. One year later, 99 of them—66 out of every 100—were still enrolled there or had already completed the degree. Compared with 930 similar selective private schools, that percentage ranks near the bottom: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, retained a higher proportion.
The 52 students who do not appear among that 66 are not automatically students who failed. The data do not say whether they transferred, paused their studies, started working, or left for any other reason. They report the outcome, not the cause.
Regarding graduation, from a cohort of 149 students who entered Tabor College in 2017 to pursue bachelor’s degrees, attending full time and with no prior college experience, 33 out of every 100 had completed their degrees there six years later. That is less than half. Compared with 920 similar selective private schools, Tabor College ranks at the very bottom of that table—nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, reported a higher proportion of six-year graduates.
This deserves to be said without softening it: it is one of the hardest figures in this entire profile. It also deserves to be stated precisely because the available data do not allow a complete reconstruction of what happened to the rest of that cohort. A missing field does not become zero, and it does not justify claiming that those students dropped out, transferred, or continued studying elsewhere. This percentage applies to the entire school, not to a particular program: if your child is pursuing a specific program, request that figure directly from the department.
One more figure uses a longer window: among an annual cohort of 293 students who entered Tabor College—including first-time students and those with prior postsecondary experience, attending full time or part time—53 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution at the eight-year mark. Compared with 935 similar schools, Tabor College ranks below the midpoint of that group.
Within that same cohort, the difference by income is notable: among those who received a Pell Grant, only 43 out of every 100 completed a Tabor College degree within eight years—19 points below the group that did not receive Pell. If your family would qualify for Pell, this does not determine what will happen to your child, but it is a question worth taking directly to the school: which assigned adviser is available, what emergency assistance exists, and whether the institutional scholarship is renewed each year. Ask for the answers in writing.
What We Know and What We Still Do Not Know
Everything you have just read comes from official reports Tabor College submits to the federal government each year: who enrolls, how much it costs, how much aid it provides, and who stays. It is real, verifiable information, but it is only one part of the complete picture.
What these data cannot tell you is whether Tabor College is the right place for your child specifically. That depends on a field your child wants to study that is genuinely available there, a financial aid letter issued in your child’s name, a distance your family is willing to travel, and an honest conversation about what you can afford without compromising the rest of your family’s life.
It is your child’s responsibility to research the program, visit if possible, write the essay, and ask the questions that matter personally. It is your responsibility to handle the paperwork and the FAFSA calendar, read the aid letter carefully before the deposit deadline arrives, and sit down together to place the options side by side. Neither of you can do the other’s work.
Now you know, using real numbers, what kind of college Tabor College is. Put that information together with what your child wants and what your family can afford. The next step comes from there.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, corresponding to different recent years depending on the indicator. Best College Aid does not represent Tabor College or any government agency; this article does not replace information the college may provide directly to your family.