Friends University is a private non-denominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas.
Friends University was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield University, but was donated in 1898 to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) by James Davis, a St. Louis business man. In the 1930s the leadership of the school was turned over to an independent Board of Trustees, with some representation of the Mid-America Yearly Meeting of Friends on the board. The mission of Friends University is "to provide a high quality undergraduate and graduate education that incorporates liberal arts instruction and professional studies within the context of the Christian faith."
For four years in a row, Friends University was named one of the 100 Best College Buys in the United States by The Student Guide to America's 100 Best College Buys, a publication based on research by Institutional Research and Evaluation in Gainesville, Georgia.
The school mascot is Freddy the Falcon.
The building now known as the Davis Administration Building was completed in September 1887 to house Garfield University. Garfield was an effort by the Christian Churches of Kansas led by Dr. W.B. Hendryx to build a Christian college in the Wichita area. Hendryx wanted to name the college after his good friend, President James Garfield. At the time, it was the largest educational institution west of the Mississippi river.
Garfield University opened its doors for classes in 1887. The University had 500 students enrolled for the first year and 1,070 for the second year. After graduating its first and only senior class, Garfield University closed its doors in 1890 due to financial difficulties. The school was reorganized and opened again in March 1892 as Garfield Central Memorial University. It closed for good November 18, 1893.
As crop failures and deaths made it difficult for pledges to be paid, the university floundered financially. Edgar Harding of Boston eventually became the owner of the property, and began putting out ads for someone to purchase it; James Davis of St. Louis, a Quaker, answered one of those ads. Davis had "proclaimed he would buy a college and give it to the Quakers with his first million dollars". After three visits to the building that would eventually be named after him, he began looking into purchasing the land.
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| Percent of Students International: | 1% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 13% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NAIA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conf) Basketball (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conf) Baseball (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conf) Track (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 15,270 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 15,150 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 120 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,661 | 41% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,309 | 25% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 5,433 | 71% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,920 | 71% | |
Any Aid: |
86% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 53% (Highly Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 5% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 400, Math: 420 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 570, Math: 620 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 78% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 17, Math: 17 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 24, Verbal: 25, Math: 24 |
| Application Fee: | $ 15.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Not Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Not Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Not Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
