Kansas’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
What are the best colleges and universities in Kansas if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Kansas deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Kansas’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
How We Measure the Academic Stewardship of Kansas’s Colleges and Universities
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Kansas’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
- Stewardship of financial resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of financial resources, we factored in its undergraduate size, budget, endowments and reserves, as well as tuition and fees. All these data are available from the National Center for Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, we factored in a school’s financial responsibility as gauged by the Federal Student Aid Office at the US Department of Education through its financial responsibility composite scores.
- Stewardship of human resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of human resources, we used our InfluenceRanking engine to track the influence of the school’s faculty and alumni but also to control for size of the undergraduate student body. We’ve found that measuring a school’s influence based on the contributions of faculty and alumni make in their fields of study but then also controlling for size of the undergraduate population is the single best indicator of academic excellence. We call this Concentrated Influence. Schools that rank highly in Concentrated Influence are schools that, given their available human resources, invest heavily in their students and faculty, and the results are demonstrable.
- We measure the influence of colleges and universities based on the publications and citations of the schools’ faculty and alumni who are teaching in and working in areas related to their degrees. To do this, we take publicly available databases, such as Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and Wikipedia and use these to measure the influence of academics in their disciplines. Having measured the influence of persons, we then identify the schools that they’re affiliated with, adding up the influence scores of the faculty and alumni to measure the influence of the schools and their disciplinary programs. Finally, we control these influence scores by size of undergraduate student body so that schools do not score high in influence simply because of a size advantage. We lay out these methodological considerations on our methodology page.
- Academic Stewardship: Having measured a school’s stewardship of financial and human resources in the two previous points, we now divide the second measure by the first to define the Academic Stewardship metric. This metric spotlights smaller schools, with fewer financial resources and people, that invest wisely and do proportionately better in building influence than large wealthy schools. Many of these smaller, less wealthy schools are incentivized to make better use of their resources but would never get recognized in conventional school rankings, which directly or indirectly put a premium on the wealth of schools.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
Why Academic Stewardship Matters to Students and Their Families
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
- A clear reason for why students are at the school in the first place. Without the distraction of amenities and luxuries, these schools are at once unpretentious but also passionately committed to their educational mission. The schools in this ranking are financially efficient and academically rigorous. By avoiding frills, these schools take the most direct path to accomplishing their mission of educating students.
- Valuing character over prestige and self-indulgence. A school that’s a good steward of its resources doesn’t instill shame in its students over what they are missing (such as elite cuisine) but rather pride in what they have and making the most of it. These schools exhibit a culture of good stewardship, which tends to build good character in the students that attend these schools.
- Avoiding the spoiled-student syndrome. It’s easy to think that offering students endless options and opportunities will enrich their time at school in every way. But spoiling people—whether in business, sports, or academics—has the opposite effect, causing people to take their advantages for granted and in the end achieving less than they might otherwise, a point well-documented in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. Schools exhibiting academic stewardship avoid this pitfall.
- The best schools vs. the schools that help students to be their best. Students at schools demonstrating outstanding academic stewardship aren’t so much concerned about being at the “best” school, whatever that may mean, as about being at a school that helps them to be their best. These schools pay attention to their students, hoping that any glory goes to them rather than to the school. Small schools, and especially liberal arts colleges, help themselves by communicating this advantage to prospective students.
- Emphasizing development over talent and achievement. Schools like Harvard and Stanford have their pick of academic talent, and their students have a long record of achievement even before they apply to such elite schools. But if a school doesn’t have the resources of a Harvard or Stanford, how does it build a great team of students? In that case, it must focus on student development. Colleges exemplifying academic stewardship emphasize student growth and development, ensuring that the schools are doing everything in their power to help students reach their full potential and thereby become their best selves.
Kansas’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
- #1 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024 #3 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #4 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #5 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
45%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/22
Career Outlook for degree at Friends University
Cost of Degree: $31,812Expenses: $14,000Starting Salary: $46,900Cost Recoup Time: 16 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Friends University known for?
Friends University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Psychology
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- Religious Studies
- Mathematics
- Social Work
- Literature
- Business
- Computer Science
- Sociology
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 Best Online Colleges for Students Who Work Part-Time #23 Best Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Doctoral Degrees #1 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #2 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #4 Best Grad Schools in Kansas 2024
- #5 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2024
- #5 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #2 Best Online Associate Degrees in Kansas 2024
- #3 Best Online Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #4 Best Online Master's Programs in Kansas 2024
- #4 Best Online MBA Programs in Kansas
- #5 Best Online Master's in Organizational Psychology
- #6 Best Online Bachelor's of Game Design Degree Programs for 2024
- #7 Best Online Associate in Business Administration
- #15 Best Online Bachelor’s in Marketing and Advertising Degree Programs for 2024
- #19 Best Online Master's in Nursing MSN
- #20 Best Online Master's in Organizational Leadership
- #20 Best Online Master's in Sports Management
- #22 Best Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
- #4 Fastest Accelerated Online PhDs in Education Degree Programs 2024
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
48%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at Baker University
Cost of Degree: $32,220Expenses: $15,930Starting Salary: $59,500Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Baker University known for?
Baker University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Baker University’s Online Degrees
BBA in Business Leadership
- Required Credits: 124
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BBA in Management
- Required Credits: 124
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BBA in Marketing
- Required Credits: 124
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 124
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024 #4 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2024 #4 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024 #4 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Graduation
54%
Student body
7K
Career Outlook for degree at Washburn University
Cost of Degree: $9,126Expenses: $13,942Starting Salary: $43,500Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Washburn University known for?
Washburn University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Law
- Literature
- Criminal Justice
- Business
- Communications
- Medical
- History
- Political Science
- Education
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
Washburn University’s Online Degrees
BAS in Technology Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BAS in Human Services
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BIS in Integrated Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #4 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024 #4 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #5 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #6 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
68%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/25
Career Outlook for degree at Benedictine College
Cost of Degree: $33,720Expenses: $17,230Starting Salary: $45,000Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Benedictine College known for?
Benedictine College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024 #3 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024 #5 Best Grad Schools in Kansas 2024 #6 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
52%
Student body
7K
Career Outlook for degree at Emporia State University
Cost of Degree: $7,001Expenses: $14,658Starting Salary: $40,300Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Emporia State University known for?
Emporia State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024 #5 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024 #5 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas 2024 #6 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
56%
Student body
7K
Career Outlook for degree at Pittsburg State University
Cost of Degree: $7,774Expenses: $15,440Starting Salary: $44,400Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Pittsburg State University known for?
Pittsburg State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #3 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2024 #3 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024 #3 Best Grad Schools in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
- #3 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #3 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Kansas
- #1 Best Online Associate Degrees in Kansas 2024
- #2 Best Online Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #3 Best Online Master's Programs in Kansas 2024
- #3 Best Online MBA Programs in Kansas
- #5 Best Online Bachelor’s of Elementary Education Degree Programs for 2024
- #6 Best Online Bachelor’s of Homeland Security Degree Programs for 2024
- #8 Best Online Bachelor's in Hospitality and Tourism Degree Programs for 2024
- #10 Best Online Bachelor’s of Early Childhood Education Degree Programs for 2024
- #10 Top 20 Most Affordable Online Master's of Nursing Programs
- #10 Best Online Doctorate of Educational Psychology (PhDs) 2024
- #19 Best Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
- #19 Best Online Master’s in Human Resources
- #23 Best Online Master's in Criminal Justice
- #25 Best Online Master's in Marketing and Advertising
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
52%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1106/22
Career Outlook for degree at Wichita State University
Cost of Degree: $8,866Expenses: $17,260Starting Salary: $45,400Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Wichita State University known for?
Wichita State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Criminal Justice
- History
- Engineering
- Physics
- Education
- Mathematics
- Earth Sciences
- Business
- Literature
- Political Science
Most Influential Alumni
Wichita State University’s Online Degrees
BAS in Workforce Leadership And Applied Learning
Degree Concentrations
- Emergency And Public Service Leadership
- Hospitality Management
- Education And Innovation
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BBA in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 124
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Homeland Security
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Education- Early Childhood United/Elementary Education Apprentice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in General Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSN in Nursing
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Aging Studies
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS/MHA in Health Administration (Bachelor'S To Master'S)
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSDH in Dental Hygiene
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BSET in Engineering Technology Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #9 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges Ranked for 2024 #14 Top 20 Best Military Friendly Online Colleges Ranked for 2024 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024 #7 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$5K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
51%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/21
Career Outlook for degree at Fort Hays State University
Cost of Degree: $5,430Expenses: $14,185Starting Salary: $42,700Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Fort Hays State University known for?
Fort Hays State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- Biology
- Political Science
- History
- Business
- Mathematics
- Education
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Physics
Most Influential Alumni
- #6 Online Colleges with the Most Generous Financial Aid in 2024 #13 15 Colleges with the Happiest Freshmen #2 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2024 #2 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Grad Schools in Kansas 2024
- #2 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
- #2 Best Online Master's Programs in Kansas 2024
- #2 Best Online MBA Programs in Kansas
- #2 Most Affordable Online Bachelor's of Business Degree Programs
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
69%
Student body
23K
Career Outlook for degree at Kansas State University
Cost of Degree: $10,448Expenses: $15,538Starting Salary: $51,900Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Kansas State University known for?
Kansas State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #8 15 Best Online Colleges for Veterans to Start Their Careers #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #1 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2024 #1 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Kansas 2024
- #1 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #1 11 Fastest Accelerated Online Master's of Speech Pathology
- #1 Best Online Master's Programs in Kansas 2024
- #1 Best Online MBA Programs in Kansas
- #2 Top 6 Best Online Clinical Nutrition PhD Degree Programs (Doctorates)
- #5 The Most Affordable Online Clinical Nutrition Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs) 2024
- #11 Best Online MBA Degree Programs for 2024 with No GMAT Required
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
67%
Student body
29K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/24
Career Outlook for degree at University of Kansas
Cost of Degree: $11,167Expenses: $14,606Starting Salary: $59,300Cost Recoup Time: 9 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Kansas known for?
University of Kansas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
37%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/21
Career Outlook for degree at Sterling College
Cost of Degree: $30,000Expenses: $14,836Starting Salary: $40,500Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Sterling College known for?
Sterling College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Sterling College ’s Online Degrees
BS in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Organizational Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Sports Management
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Criminal Justice Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BS in Education
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
BA in Christian Thought
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: Online
- #7 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024 #7 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #9 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024 #9 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024
Tuition + fees
$30K
Graduation
58%
Student body
<1K
Career Outlook for degree at Hesston College
Cost of Degree: $29,952Expenses: $14,994Starting Salary: $43,800Cost Recoup Time: 16 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Hesston College known for?
Hesston College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #5 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024 #5 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #7 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024 #7 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
32%
Student body
<1K
Career Outlook for degree at Kansas Wesleyan University
Cost of Degree: $32,470Expenses: $14,000Starting Salary: $43,300Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Kansas Wesleyan University known for?
Kansas Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Criminal Justice
- Biology
- Engineering
- Literature
- History
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Communications
- Education
- Psychology
Most Influential Alumni
- #17 Most Affordable Online Colleges Ranked for Students 2024 #2 Best Private Colleges in Kansas 2024 #3 Best Christian Colleges in Kansas 2024 #4 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2024
Other Rankings
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #9 Best Colleges in Kansas 2024
- #2 Best Online Bachelor's in Math Degree Programs Ranked for Students
- #4 Best Online MBA Programs in Arizona
- #5 Top 10 Best Online Business Management Bachelor's Programs
- #6 Best Online Colleges in Wisconsin 2024
- #8 Best Online Master's Programs in Arizona 2024
- #10 Best Online MBA Programs in Kansas
- #13 Best Online Colleges in Arizona 2024
- #13 Best Online Bachelor's of Economics Degree Programs for 2024
- #14 15 Fastest Accelerated Online Master's of Psychology Programs
- #11 Top 20 Fastest Accelerated Online Bachelor's in Counseling
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
28%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
980/20
Career Outlook for degree at Ottawa University
Cost of Degree: $33,380Expenses: $16,774Starting Salary: $48,100Cost Recoup Time: 16 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Ottawa University known for?
Ottawa University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Social Work
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Religious Studies
- Business
- Biology
- History
- Education
- Literature
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
Kansas’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest
Colleges and Universities in Kansas
Prospective students searching for both brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Kansas can choose from a wide range of excellent schools. The Sunflower State offers a wide range of highly accessible public options for Kansas students seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines.
Kansas is noted for its 23 community and technical colleges. These institutions provide numerous pathways to traditional and online degree programs, and well as online certificate programs for working professionals.
Kansas also has nine public universities, the largest being the University of Kansas (KU) with over 28,000 students. The school’s main campus is located in Lawrence, Kansas, but there are four other locations where students can attend KU classes: Overland Park, Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina. This means there are plenty of options for Kansas students seeking an on-campus experience and in state tuition rates.
It should also be noted that online students attending public colleges in Kansas are also entitled to in state tuition rates.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
Kansas is also home to 22 private higher education institutions, with tuition ranging from $7,000 to $31,000.
In addition, students can choose from one of 18 religiously affiliated schools, including Newman University, Wichita - a Catholic liberal arts university serving the state’s largest private school student population at just over 2,000.
Kansas boasts an array of affordable options for both on-campus and online learners. The average tuition for a year of college in Kansas is $9,230, which is below the national average.
Kansas awards associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in popular fields of study, like economics, health services administration, early childhood education, elementary education, business administration, and more. Specialized degrees include aerospace engineering at the University of Kansas and agribusiness from Kansas State University.
Students who earn degrees in the medical and health care fields may have access to loan forgiveness-based programs, such as the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. This financial aid program awards up to $50,000, tax free, for those who serve two years at an approved site.
Arguably, it was the 1939 cinema classic, The Wizard of Oz, that put Kansas on the map. But this midwestern state is also known for its mouth-watering barbecue, open plains, and vast sunflower fields. Prospective students can also choose from traditional and online schools and universities across the state of Kansas.
See what Kansas has to offer by checking out the top undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as unique educational opportunities like online certificate programs and degree completion programs.
What are Kansas’s Colleges & Universities?
- 5 Research Universities
- 19 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 7 Graduate Schools
- 7 Public Colleges & Universities
- 17 Private Colleges & Universities
- 15 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 19 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 8 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 25 Community Colleges
- 9 Online Colleges