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Bluffton University: HPIM1156 (99720819)
Photo: Josh Smith from Findlay, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional college

Bluffton University

Bluffton, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $19,943 a year

Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.53%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.60%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 976 · ACT 19
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.11 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,125

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$16,363
$30,001–$48,000$16,689
$48,001–$75,000$18,469
$75,001–$110,000$21,233
Over $110,000$26,321

Full cost of attendance before aid: $51,862 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
602
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 58% · Women 42%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
33%
Total students678
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$19,943
Cost of attendance (per year)$51,862
Median federal debt at graduation$27,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
53%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
49%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
43%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
64%
First-year retention60%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$49,547
Admission rate67%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $844 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants45%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 860–1130ACT 16–22
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT976
SAT reading & writing430–550
SAT math430–580
ACT composite16–22
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Good (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Human resources$76,243
Accounting$62,315
Business administration$57,308
Social work$55,073
Foods, Nutrition,$47,378
Kinesiology and exercise science$44,920
Teacher education$44,290
Psychology$42,742
Special education$41,602

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Bible/Biblical Studies, Biology, Broadcasting, Chemistry, Clinical laboratory science, Communication studies, Computing and information science, Criminal justice, Design, Economics, English, Family and human development, Fine arts, Health administration, History, Interdisciplinary studies, Journalism, Liberal arts, Marketing, Mathematics, Music, Nursing, Other visual and performing arts, Pastoral counseling, Physics, Pre-health, Public health, Public relations, Rehabilitation and therapy, Romance languages, Secondary education, Social sciences, Sociology, Speech-language pathology, Teaching English as a second language, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education20%
Business18%
Parks, recreation and fitness16%
Health professions9%
Family and consumer sciences5%

Campus life

School colors
SettingRural
Part-time undergraduates1%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older3%
On-campus room and board (per year)$12,220
SportsNCAA Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member11 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 13%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time51%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$37,584IPEDS, 2023, per student
Nearest airport with airline serviceEugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport (TOL)About 48 miles away · about 1 hour 25 minutes by car
Nearest major airportJohn Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)About 82 miles away
Town population3,859Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreToledoAbout 56 miles away · about 1 hour 20 minutes by car
Typical weather26°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Pandora, OH, about 5 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape1.550.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Bluffton University’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Bluffton University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $19,943 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Bluffton University?
Bluffton University admitted 67% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Bluffton University’s graduates do?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $49,547; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.

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