Butler University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Butler University

Butler University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana (city: large), with a total reported enrollment of 4,317 students of which 4,674 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. Butler University is categorized as “18” 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 85.1%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,274 and an ACT midpoint of 28. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $36,041, with published in-state tuition of $47,560 and a Pell grant recipient share of 15.0%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $26,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 80.3%, and the first-year retention rate is 87.5%. Graduates earn a median of $77,235 ten years after enrolling, compared with $61,627 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 137100.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 79.9% 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.