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Bluffton University

Bluffton University

Bluffton University, is a private, Christian liberal arts college located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1899 as Central Mennonite College by the General Conference Mennonite Church. It became Bluffton University in 2004. Bluffton offers more than 35 undergraduate majors organized in over 12 academic departments. The student body at Bluffton includes students representing over 15 states and more than 10 countries worldwide.

U.S. News and World Report’s 'America's Best Colleges 2009', ranked Bluffton among the top tier of Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest. Bluffton’s athletics department sponsors several men’s and women’s sports teams. The university is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Their sports teams are nicknamed as the Beavers. The teams participate in sports including basketball, baseball, cross country, football, soccer, tennis, and track.

Overview of Bluffton University

Students attend Bluffton in Bluffton, OH, a rural site not far from an urban area. The school is proud of its Mennonite Church status. Bluffton is a private, not-for-profit institution. The school degrees go up to the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

Bluffton has a greater breadth of degree programs (majors) than most colleges of its size. The school is known for its programs in mathematics, art studies, business and management, and nutrition and exercise therapy.

Bluffton Selectivity

Bluffton is selective and does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 430. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 460 and 560. Many applicants are from out of state, an indication of the quality or special character of the school.

Faculty

The school has a tenure system for senior faculty.

Student Body

There are 1,117 students at Bluffton (as of 2007).

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at the school. Bluffton has a residential or campus feel. The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. Bluffton offers students meal plans. The school values student athletics, and belongs to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"Bluffton University is a liberal arts university in northwestern Ohio founded in 1899 and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Shaped by the historic peace church tradition and nourished by a desire for excellence in all phases of its programs, Bluffton University seeks to prepare students of all backgrounds for life as well as vocation, for responsible citizenship, for service to all peoples and ultimately for the purposes of God's universal kingdom."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Bluffton

Bluffton University
1 University Drive
Bluffton, OH 45817-2104
General Phone: (419) 358-3000
http://www.bluffton.edu

Bluffton Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Business And Management134organizational behavior, business management, accounting, apparel marketing
Education And Teaching66elementary school teaching, kindergarten/preschool teaching, middle school teaching, education, special ed, music teaching, family/home economics teaching
Liberal Arts24history, English, Spanish language, sociology, creative writing, social services, interdisciplinary studies, economics
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy22health and physical education, sports and fitness management, parks and recreation management
Family And Social Work18social work, food and nutrition, family and consumer science
Therapy And Counseling9psychology
Mathematics9mathematics
Art Studies8art studies
Science7biology, chemistry, physics
Security And Law Enforcement6criminal justice and safety
Media5communication studies
Computer Science And Engineering4computer science, information technology, information science
Religion And Philosophy1youth ministry, religion
Music1music
Medicine0pre-med

Number of programs and degrees for Bluffton in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree27239
Master's degree423

Bluffton Student Body

In 2007, Bluffton had a total enrollment of 1,117 students (1,046 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men44%
Women56%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate89%
Graduate11%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White89%
Black3%
Hispanic2%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown3%
(Foreign Students)2%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 1810%
18-1931%
20-2132%
22-2411%
25-293%
30-343%
35-392%
40-493%
50-641%

Bluffton Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time68 %

Bluffton Room and Board (2007)

Bluffton offers campus housing for 839 of its 1,046 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Bluffton, Ohio for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Ohio Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 20 meals per week.

Bluffton Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,34381761%20825%
Men74940154%9123%
Women59441670%11728%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal430540
SAT Math460560
ACT Verbal2026
ACT Math1925
ACT Composite2025

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT25%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT91%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Bluffton Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 21,780
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 21,780
Room and board$ 7,294
Room charge$ 3,358
Board (meal plan) charge$ 4,136
Books and supplies$ 900
Other expenses$ 2,100

Financial Aid:
Bluffton participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 301600)

Bluffton Faculty

Bluffton has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured236
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1710
Non-tenured and not on tenure track55

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year18$57,1465$56,630
Associate professoracademic year8$53,8176$50,658
Assistant professoracademic year18$44,24210$44,100
Instructoracademic year1*0*
All faculty totalacademic year45$50,93121$48,957

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Bluffton Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballHeartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballHeartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballHeartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
TrackHeartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

Bluffton Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations
Business Administration and Management, General
Organizational Behavior Studies

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science
Information Science/Studies
Information Technology

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Education, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
Music Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS
Creative Writing
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
History, General
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Social Sciences, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MEDICINE
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

MUSIC
Music, General

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Sport and Fitness Administration/Management

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Religion/Religious Studies
Youth Ministry

SCIENCE
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Bluffton Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Bluffton Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 5%Bluffton Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Bluffton % of degrees in mathematics
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Bluffton % of full-time faculty on tenure track
% of degrees in business and management
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Bluffton % of degrees in business and management
% of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Bluffton % of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Bluffton % of degrees in art studies
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 20%Bluffton Number of degree programs
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Mennonite Church affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

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