This article will not tell you whether Taylor is the right university for your child. No one knows that yet, not even your child. But I can show you, using the official data that the United States government collects from every institution, what kind of school Taylor is, what it requires, what it costs, and what happened to the students who have already attended. With that, you can begin to build your own map.
What Kind of School Taylor University Is
Let's start with the basics, because the basics matter more here than they might seem.
Taylor University is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution located in Upland, within Grant County, Indiana. The system that classifies universities nationwide describes it as a bachelor's college with diverse fields of study, and one thing is immediately clear: it is a highly residential school. This means that, according to the most recent available data, at least half of bachelor's-degree-seeking undergraduates live in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least eight out of ten attend full time.
What does this mean for you? Taylor is not designed for your child to live at home and commute every day. It is a school where students are expected to move to campus. And here is the first truth I will not soften for you: the cost of living there almost never appears alongside tuition in the first brochure you receive. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
The area surrounding the campus is rural, far from any large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, you will need to work out separately where your child would live, how your child would get there, and how often you would see each other. The official data places the school's address in a town setting; it does not tell you how long the trip from your home would take, so you will need to calculate that yourself.
Taylor offers bachelor's degrees and also reports master's degrees as its highest level of study, although that is general institutional information: it does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in is available there or whether it connects to a graduate program. You need to ask about that program by program.
And one point worth making clear from the beginning: Taylor is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. This is not a judgment, just information. Of the 3,012 institutions in the national directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; Taylor is not among them. That says nothing about which students it serves well or how your child would feel there. Ask directly what cultural centers currently exist, what student organizations are available, and what someone who already attends the school can tell you.
The Size of the Community and Who Makes It Up
Taylor's official enrollment in the most recent fall count totaled 2,398: undergraduate enrollment was 2,372 and graduate enrollment was only 26. It is primarily a bachelor's-level school of medium size—neither among the largest nor the smallest—compared with similar selective private schools.
Now for the figure that probably matters most to you as a Latino family: among undergraduates, 5 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. This is a small minority, and compared with nearly a thousand similar selective private schools, Taylor falls in the bottom quarter for this share.
I will not tell you that this number disqualifies the school or validates it. I will tell you what does matter: if your child will be one of the few, ask what student groups and support services exist for Latino students, and try to speak with someone who already attends before deciding. The number describes the school as a whole; your child's experience in a specific major may look very different.
The campus is nearly evenly divided between men and women—54 out of every 100 are women—and there are almost no adult students: only 1 out of every 100 is between the ages of 25 and 64. In other words, it is a young campus designed for students arriving directly from high school.
How the Academic Year Works and What Students Can Study
Taylor operates on a 4-1-4 calendar: four courses over four months, followed by one month with a single course, and then another four courses over the next four months. It accepts credit for AP examinations and military training, but not for life experience. And here is something many families misunderstand: accepting AP does not mean students automatically receive credit for every examination. You will not know what score is required or whether those credits apply to your child's major until you request a written transfer-credit evaluation.
As for academic offerings, Taylor awarded 422 bachelor's degrees in the most recently reported year, distributed across 21 different fields of study. No single field accounts for a large portion: the most popular, business and management, represented only 14 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with similar schools, Taylor is among those with a greater variety of fields of study represented in their offerings. This suggests a broad selection, although one field of study may group several different programs and may even report no degrees in a given year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, not just the general field.
One figure worth examining closely is the student-to-instructional-staff ratio: 14 to 1. It sounds low, and in absolute terms it is. But compared with similar schools—of the same type and similarly selective—Taylor falls in the quarter with the highest ratios. Both things are true at the same time: the number looks small on its own, but for this type of school it is on the high side among its peers. This figure also does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes; ask about that directly.
Taylor also reports structured opportunities such as study abroad, undergraduate research alongside a professor, and teacher-certification pathways, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
Getting Into Taylor: What It Requires and What Actually Happens
Taylor does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes: high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the college-preparatory program the university requires, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency examination when applicable. It also considers, although it does not require, your child's class rank and work experience.
It is a long application. It cannot be put together in one night. The application fee, incidentally, is $0.
Now for the numbers that probably interest you most. In the most recent cycle, first-time applicants numbered 2,076, and Taylor admitted 1,580. That is 76 out of every 100. Compared with nearly a thousand similar selective private schools, this is a typical rate, slightly above the group's midpoint. Seven or eight out of every ten applicants receive a yes. That does not make admission automatic, but it does give your child a real reason to try—and a reason not to leave the application until the last minute. Remember that this figure comes from a single cycle. When it is your child's turn, check the figure again for the relevant year.
Among those admitted, only 36 out of every 100 ultimately enrolled at Taylor. The other 64 had an acceptance letter in hand and chose another school. This does not measure how difficult it is to get in—we already covered that above—but rather what other families decided after receiving an offer. It is useful information, but when your child's letters arrive, this percentage is not what truly determines the choice: place the offers side by side and compare net price, major, and distance.
Regarding standardized tests, Taylor is test optional. The SAT or ACT is not required, but the school considers scores if applicants submit them. Among enrolled students, 60 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high share compared with similar schools—and among those students, the middle half scored between 540 and 670 in reading and writing and between 530 and 670 in mathematics. That range is neither a minimum for admission nor a guarantee; it reflects only what was reported by those who chose to submit their scores.
Regarding transfers: in the most recent fall, transfer enrollment among students attending Taylor for the first time was 40. This is a count of people, not a percentage, and it falls in the lower half compared with similar schools. The school does not report the rate at which students transfer away from Taylor; that information is simply unavailable. If your child enrolls as a transfer student, ask the admissions office directly how many credits Taylor will accept.
The Sticker Price and What Families Actually Pay
At Taylor University, among first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the population numbered 25 and had an average net price of $12,612. For the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, enrollment was 46 and the average net price was $21,003; for those with EFC family income above $110,000, enrollment was 132 and the average was $28,408. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose population was 25, and the average for the highest-income band, whose population was 132, is $15,796. 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 $25,698.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, Taylor falls in the least expensive quarter for lower-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a factor worth considering when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. 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 after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what ultimately matters.
How Students Pay: Grants, Pell, and Loans
At Taylor, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving some aid here is the norm, not the exception. Among recipients, the annual average was $25,029, although that average includes students who received much more and others who received much less.
Now for the part that deserves honest attention: the Pell Grant, federal aid for low-income families, reached only 16 out of every 100 students. This means that at least 83 out of every 100 received aid from another source—from the school itself, the state, or somewhere else—but not Pell. Receiving aid is not the same as receiving Pell, and the report does not distinguish the source of each grant or scholarship. Ask directly who provides the aid offered to your child, what is required to qualify, and what must be done to renew it each year.
Regarding loans: 33 out of every 100 undergraduates received a federal loan in the most recently reported year, with an average of $5,990 among borrowers. Compared with similar schools, Taylor is on the low side: seven out of every ten similar schools, or more, had a higher share of students with debt. That is encouraging, but it is not a promise for your child. This average covers only one year and includes only federal loans in the student's name; it does not include loans parents take out separately, credit-card debt, or cumulative debt at graduation. The amount your child would need to borrow depends on the financial-aid letter your child receives, not on this overall percentage.
Taylor also offers an installment tuition-payment plan and participates in a Promise program.
Campus Life: Housing, Athletics, and Support
Taylor has its own housing and meal plans, although it does not require all full-time students to live there. The reported maximum capacity of institution-controlled housing is 1,745. The existence of rooms does not guarantee that a bed will be available: request the current rate and application deadline in writing, and ask whether housing is guaranteed or your child could be placed on a waiting list.
ROTC is available, with the Army branch confirmed in writing in the official report; the Navy and Air Force branches are not shown as confirmed. Their absence from the report does not mean they are unavailable, but if your child is interested in another branch, ask directly.
Taylor competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NAIA, with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This information does not tell you whether there is a place on the team, the exact division in which it competes, or whether that sport offers scholarships. Ask the coach directly, and it is best to get the answer in writing.
It also offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels: 16 out of every 100 undergraduates were taking their entire course load online in the most recent count, while 84 were taking at least one in-person class. The library operates with employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. Reported services also include combined academic and career counseling, employment services, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a webpage describing services for students with disabilities.
What Happened to Those Who Already Studied There
This may be the most important part of the article, because it concerns outcomes, not promises.
Among the most recently measured cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students who entered Taylor in the fall, 91 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already graduated one year later. This is a high figure, among the highest compared with similar selective private schools—nine out of every ten similar schools retained an equal or smaller share. But this figure combines two distinct groups—those still enrolled and those who had already graduated—without separating them, and it does not reveal what happened to the rest.
Regarding graduation: for the full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered Taylor in 2017—448 in all—graduates within six years numbered 343. That is 77 out of every 100—a figure that places Taylor in the top quarter among similar schools. At the four-year mark, the figure drops to 69 out of every 100.
And here is the truth I cannot soften: a high graduation rate is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort that entered in 2017. What is within your control, and your child's, is making sure that your child starts with credits properly arranged from the first semester and knows from day one who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
One more figure, with an important qualification: when tracking a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016, including full-time and part-time students, 77 out of every 100 had earned a Taylor degree or certificate eight years later. But within that group, students who received a Pell Grant graduated at a rate of 64 out of every 100—16 points lower than the rate for those who did not receive Pell. If your family would qualify for Pell today, this does not determine what would happen to your child, but it does raise a question worth taking to the school: what specifically is available for those students—an assigned advisor, emergency assistance, whether the grant or scholarship is renewed each year—and ask for the answer in writing.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now know Taylor University as thoroughly as the official data allows: a small, rural, private school with a limited Latino community, relatively accessible admission, a high sticker price that falls markedly for lower-income families, and graduation and retention outcomes that rank among the strongest in its comparison group.
None of this tells you whether Taylor is the right university for your child. That depends on things no federal report can tell you: what your child wants to study, how far away your child is willing to live, how large a Latino community your child needs nearby to feel at home, and how much your family can and is willing to pay once the actual financial-aid letter arrives.
What you can do now is your part: request the housing and meal-cost breakdown in writing, complete the FAFSA to see your family's actual net price, and ask directly about support for Latino students if that matters in your household. Your child's part is to explore whether this major, this campus size, and this rural setting make sense. Put those pieces together, and a real plan will emerge.
Source: institutional data reported by Taylor University to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, and the Carnegie Classification based on data from 2019-20. Best College Aid does not represent Taylor University or the United States government; this article organizes public information to help you understand it.