Bluffton University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Bluffton University

Bluffton University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Bluffton, Ohio (rural: distant), with a total reported enrollment of 582 students of which 635 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Bluffton University is categorized as “22” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 67.2%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 976. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,943, with published in-state tuition of $37,362 and a Pell grant recipient share of 44.7%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $27,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 51.0%, and the first-year retention rate is 59.6%. Graduates earn a median of $49,547 ten years after enrolling, compared with $41,940 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 65500.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 68.7% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.