Baker University

Private · Moderately Selective · KS

Photo: Ian Ballinger (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationKS · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,100

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate49.2%

6-yr grad rate57.8%

Drop-out rate34.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$35k

Out-of-state tuition$35k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity34.5%

Gender diversity52.6%

International4.2%

IdentityUnited Methodist

Overview

Baker University, in the small town of Baldwin City, Kansas, was founded by Methodists in 1858 and holds the distinction of being Kansas's first university. Its main campus retains a traditional, small-town residential college feel, while separate adult and nursing programs operate from sites in the Kansas City area, reaching a different, older student population.

Academics

Teacher education and business are the strongest traditional undergraduate programs on the Baldwin City campus, built around a Methodist-heritage liberal arts core. The Kansas City-area programs, largely nursing and adult-completion degrees, function almost as a separate track in practice, serving working adults on a different schedule and calendar.

Campus & student life

NAIA athletics have a real, visible presence at Baker relative to its size — school spirit and sports attendance are a bigger part of campus culture than at many similarly small colleges. Baldwin City is a genuinely small town, so campus life is fairly self-contained, with Kansas City and Lawrence a drive away for students wanting a bigger city.

Worth knowing

The split between the small-town Baldwin City undergraduate campus and the Kansas City-area adult and nursing sites means "Baker University" describes two fairly different student experiences depending on which program a student is in.

bakeru.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate94.2%

Enrolled mid-50%1110

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying