Bluffton University

1 University Drive, Bluffton, OH 45817

http://www.bluffton.edu/

School Description

Provided by Bluffton University

Bluffton University is a liberal arts university in northwestern Ohio founded in 1899 by regional leaders of the General Conference Mennonite Church and is today 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.

Christian Values in a Global Community – that’s what Bluffton University is all about. We prepare students of all backgrounds for life – as well as for vocation, responsible citizenship and service.

Bluffton’s outstanding academic community welcomes you to study with our faculty scholars who are dedicated to your success. Our academic programs help you hone your critical thinking skills and become more effective communicators while discovering your personal and professional gifts.

Choose from more than 40 undergraduate majors and minors, three graduate programs and a variety of continuing and professional education opportunities that are nationally recognized for excellence. In 2008, U.S.News & World Report identified Bluffton as one of America’s Best Colleges in the top tier of Midwest baccalaureate colleges.

Of course, you’ll spend time studying at Bluffton, but you’ll also find lots of ways to get involved and have fun on campus. More than 40 clubs, groups, and organizations benefit from your leadership and participation. Choose from music groups, intramural and athletic teams or politics, departmental clubs, computer user groups, arts activities, WBWH-FM radio, Habitat for Humanity, spiritual life organizations, drama productions, student government, residence hall associations or Marbeck Center Board.

Complete your program of study, and you’ll join thousands of Bluffton alumni who fulfill their personal goals in occupations and vocations that include physicians, head coaches, teachers, government program leaders, corporate community relations directors, school administrators, orthopedic trauma surgeons, guidance counselors, ministers, newspaper editors, chief executive officers, fundraising consultants, children’s caseworkers, computer performance analysts, university professors and much more.

Residential and intimate in nature, the Bluffton University campus is situated on 234 wooded acres in the northwest Ohio village of Bluffton.

The village of Bluffton, a Swiss-German community founded in 1861, is a thriving, friendly rural community with a population of approximately 4,000. Bluffton offers dining, shopping, a hospital, movie theatre, bowling, golf, an airport and more. Main Street offers a variety of interesting shops, including Ohio's largest teddy bear store, a full service quilt shop, a hardware, as well as shops offering antiques, folk art, crafts from third world countries, sports gear and health food.

In addition, Toledo is just an hour to the north and Dayton is 90 minutes to the south.

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Bluffton University

From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913. The name Bluffton University was adopted in 2004.

Bluffton "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."

Academics

Bluffton offers 39 undergraduate majors organized in 13 academic departments. It also offers three graduate degrees: Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Organizational Management, and Master of Arts in Education.

Students at Bluffton are not proctored during exams. Instead, students are on their honor not to cheat and to report any students who do to the instructor. Students are expected to write the honor pledge ( “I am unaware of any aid having been given or received during this examination") on their exams and sign their names.

The honor system was created in 1918 by chemistry professor H.W. Berky, who borrowed the idea from his undergraduate education at Princeton University.

The spirit of the honor system is supposed to pervade every area of campus life.

Religious heritage and life

Bluffton University was founded (as Central Mennonite College) by the General Conference Mennonite Church and became affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA when it was created in 2002 by a merger between the GCMC and the Mennonite Church. It has been a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities since 1991.

The Mennonite church is an Anabaptist denomination committed to nonviolence, social justice and voluntary service.

Bluffton has been open to non-Mennonites since its founding and members of the denomination now make up a minority of students.

Historian Perry Bush, in his centennial history of the college, argues that Bluffton's distinctive religious orientation has been to avoid both secularization and generic American evangelicalism. While many other denominational colleges adopted the latter, Bluffton leaders "refused to separate Mennonite ethical principles from the doctrines they held in common with other evangelicals. They refused to treat peace and service as if they were add-ons, 'nonessentials,' extra-chrome options. Christ's theological and ethical teachings were all of one piece, Mennonites have insisted, and a proper Christian college would be built on the firm integration of the two."

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Read the full entry on Wikipedia

Quick Facts

Chance of Admission:
Location:
Midwest
Setting:
Small Town Setting
Type:
Private
Affiliation:
Mennonite Church
Size:
Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad)
Mascot:
Beavers

Students & Campus Life

Undergraduate Enrollment:
1,056
On Campus Housing:
Available
Full Time Students:
100%
Athletic Programs:
Available
> More Students & Campus Life

Expenses

Average Tuition:
$ 19,028
Students Receiving Aid:
100%
> More Expenses & Financial Aid

Admissions

Application Fee:
$ 20
Selectivity:
Selective
> More Admissions

Degree Programs at Bluffton University

Bachelor's Level Programs

  • Arts & Humanities

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    • English Language and Literature See more schools with programs in English Language and Literature
      • Creative Writing
        A program that focuses on the process and techniques of original composition in various literary forms such as the short story, poetry, the novel, and others. Includes instruction in technical and editorial skills, criticism, and the marketing of finished manuscripts.
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      • English Language and Literature
        A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples.
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    • Foreign Languages See more schools with programs in Foreign Languages
      • Spanish Language and Literature
        A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in Spanish philology, Modern Castillan, various Latin American dialects, regional Spanish dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings.
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    • History See more schools with programs in History
      • History
        A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration.
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    • Music See more schools with programs in Music
      • General Music
        A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media.
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    • Religion/Religious Studies See more schools with programs in Religion/Religious Studies
      • General Religion/Religious Studies
        A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior.
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      • Youth Ministry
        A program that prepares the ordained clergy and other religious professionals to provide spiritual, counseling, and leadership services to children, adolescents, and young adults. Includes instruction in child and adolescent psychology, human growth and development, family studies, communication skills, religious education, youth counseling, small group leadership, planning and organizing youth activities, volunteer supervision, and youth evangelism and worship.
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    • Visual Arts See more schools with programs in Visual Arts
      • Art/Art Studies
        Art and Art Studies is a general, introductory program that focuses on the study and appreciation of the visual arts. Students of these two or four year programs receive instruction in art, photography, and other visual communications media.
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  • Business

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    • Accounting & Related Services See more schools with programs in Accounting & Related Services
      • Accounting
        An accounting program provides the tools to practice accounting and to perform related business functions. This program includes instruction in accounting principles and theory, financial accounting, managerial accounting, cost accounting, budget control, tax accounting, legal aspects of accounting, auditing, reporting procedures, statement analysis, planning and consulting, business information systems, accounting research methods, professional standards and ethics, and applications to specific for-profit, public, and non-profit organizations.
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    • Fashion and Apparel See more schools with programs in Fashion and Apparel
      • Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations
        Students in this program gain the knowledge and skills necessary for the distribution and sale of apparel and accessories. Students receive instruction in wholesaling and retailing, apparel technologies, distribution, customer sales and service skills, and principles of consumer research and sales forecasting.
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    • General Business See more schools with programs in General Business
      • Business Administration and Management
        Generally, this program prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control a firm or organization. To aid them in taking a leading role in business, individuals in this program study management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making.
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    • Information Systems See more schools with programs in Information Systems
      • Information Science/Studies
        A program that focuses on the theory, organization, and process of information collection, transmission, and utilization in traditional and electronic forms. Includes instruction in information classification and organization; information storage and processing; transmission, transfer, and signaling; communications and networking; systems planning and design; human interfacing and use analysis; database development; information policy analysis; and related aspects of hardware, software, economics, social factors, and capacity.
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    • Management See more schools with programs in Management
      • Organizational Behavior Studies
        A program that focuses on the scientific study of the behavior and motivations of individuals functioning in organized groups, and its application to business and industrial settings. Includes instruction in organization theory, industrial and organizational psychology, social psychology, sociology of organizations, reinforcement and incentive theory, employee relations strategies, organizational power and influence, organization stratification and hierarchy, leadership styles, and applications of operations research and other methodologies to organizational analysis.
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  • Communication & Media

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    • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
      A program that focuses on the scientific, humanistic, and critical study of human communication in a variety of formats, media, and contexts. Includes instruction in the theory and practice of interpersonal, group, organizational, professional, and intercultural communication; speaking and listening; verbal and nonverbal interaction; rhetorical theory and criticism; performance studies; argumentation and persuasion; technologically mediated communication; popular culture; and various contextual applications.
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  • Education

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    • Special Needs Education See more schools with programs in Special Needs Education
      • Special Education and Teaching
        A general program that focuses on the design and provision of teaching and other educational services to children or adults with special learning needs or disabilities, and that may prepare individuals to function as special education teachers. Includes instruction in diagnosing learning disabilities, developing individual education plans, teaching and supervising special education students, special education counseling, and applicable laws and policies.
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    • Teacher Training See more schools with programs in Teacher Training
      • Elementary Education and Teaching
        A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the elementary grades, which may include kindergarten through grade eight, depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all elementary education subject matter.
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      • Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
        A program that prepares individuals to teach vocational home economics programs at various educational levels.
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      • Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
        A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the middle, intermediate or junior high grades, which may include grades four through nine by regulation.
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      • Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching.
        A program that prepares individuals to teach students in formal settings prior to beginning regular elementary school, usually ranging in age from three to six years (or grade one), depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all relevant subject matter.
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      • Music Teacher Education
        A program that prepares individuals to teach music and music appreciation programs at various educational levels.
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  • Family and Consumer Science Professions

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    • Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences See more schools with programs in Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
      • General Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
        A general program that focuses on family and consumer sciences, including how individuals develop and function in family, work, and community settings and how they relate to their physical, social, emotional, and intellectual environments.
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    • Nutrition See more schools with programs in Nutrition
      • Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies
        A general program that focuses on the role of foods and nutrition in human health and wellness. Includes instruction in nutritional care and education, the planning and provision of food services, the development of consumable food products, life-span nutrition and wellness, the principles of nutritional assessment, and food safety and food composition.
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  • Fitness, Recreation and Leisure Studies

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    • Parks, Recreation and Leisure See more schools with programs in Parks, Recreation and Leisure
      • Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
        A program that prepares individuals to develop and manage park facilities and other indoor and outdoor recreation and leisure facilities. Includes instruction in supervising support personnel, health and safety standards, public relations, and basic business and marketing principles.
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    • Physical Fitness See more schools with programs in Physical Fitness
      • Health and Physical Education
        A general program that focuses on activities and principles that promote physical fitness, achieve and maintain athletic prowess, and accomplish related research and service goals. Includes instruction in human movement studies, motivation studies, rules and practice of specific sports, exercise and fitness principles and techniques, basic athletic injury prevention and treatment, and organizing and leading fitness and sports programs.
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      • Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
        A program that prepares individuals to apply business, coaching and physical education principles to the organization, administration and management of athletic programs and teams, fitness/rehabilitation facilities and health clubs, sport recreation services, and related services. Includes instruction in program planning and development; business and financial management principles; sales, marketing and recruitment; event promotion, scheduling and management; facilities management; public relations; legal aspects of sports; and applicable health and safety standards.
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  • Health & Medical Services

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    • Health/Medical Preparatory Programs See more schools with programs in Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
      • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
        A program that prepares individuals for admission to a first-professional program in medicine, osteopathic medicine, or podiatric medicine.
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  • Interdisciplinary Studies

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    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
      Any instructional program that is derived from two or more distinct programs to provide a cross-cutting focus on a subject concentration that is not subsumed under a single discipline or occupational field.
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  • Life Science

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    • Biology See more schools with programs in Biology
      • Biology/Biological Sciences
        Students in this program study general biology at an introductory level. This major provides students with a broad overview of biology and includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations.
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  • Mathematics and Statistics

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    • General Mathematics
      A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations.
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  • Natural Sciences

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    • Chemistry See more schools with programs in Chemistry
      • General Chemistry
        A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena.
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    • Physics See more schools with programs in Physics
      • General Physics
        A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods.
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  • Security and Protective Service Careers

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    • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
      A program that focuses on the criminal justice system, its organizational components and processes, and its legal and public policy contexts. Includes instruction in criminal law and policy, police and correctional systems organization, the administration of justice and the judiciary, and public attitudes regarding criminal justice issues.
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  • Social Sciences

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    • General Social Sciences
      A program that focuses on the general study of human social behavior and social institutions using any of the methodologies common to the social sciences and/or history, or an undifferentiated program of study in the social sciences.
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    • Economics See more schools with programs in Economics
      • General Economics
        A general program that focuses on the systematic study of the production, conservation and allocation of resources in conditions of scarcity, together with the organizational frameworks related to these processes. Includes instruction in economic theory, micro- and macroeconomics, comparative economic systems, money and banking systems, international economics, quantitative analytical methods, and applications to specific industries and public policy issues.
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    • Psychology See more schools with programs in Psychology
      • General Psychology
        A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods.
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    • Sociology See more schools with programs in Sociology
      • Sociology
        A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems.
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  • Social Work

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    • General Social Work
      A program that prepares individuals for the professional practice of social welfare administration and counseling, and that focus on the study of organized means of providing basic support services for vulnerable individuals and groups. Includes instruction in social welfare policy; case work planning; social counseling and intervention strategies; administrative procedures and regulations; and specific applications in areas such as child welfare and family services, probation, employment services, and disability counseling.
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  • Technology

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    • Information Systems Operation and Management See more schools with programs in Information Systems Operation and Management
      • General Computer Science
        A general program that focuses on computers, computing problems and solutions, and the design of computer systems and user interfaces from a scientific perspective. Includes instruction in the principles of computational science, and computing theory; computer hardware design; computer development and programming; and applications to a variety of end-use situations.
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    • Software Development See more schools with programs in Software Development
      • Information Technology
        A program that focuses on the design of technological information systems, including computing systems, as solutions to business and research data and communications support needs. Includes instruction in the principles of computer hardware and software components, algorithms, databases, telecommunications, user tactics, application testing, and human interface design.
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Master's Level Programs

  • Business

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    • Management See more schools with programs in Management
      • Organizational Behavior Studies
        A program that focuses on the scientific study of the behavior and motivations of individuals functioning in organized groups, and its application to business and industrial settings. Includes instruction in organization theory, industrial and organizational psychology, social psychology, sociology of organizations, reinforcement and incentive theory, employee relations strategies, organizational power and influence, organization stratification and hierarchy, leadership styles, and applications of operations research and other methodologies to organizational analysis.
        See more schools with programs in Organizational Behavior Studies
  • Education

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    • General Education See more schools with programs in General Education
      • General Education
        A program that focuses on the general theory and practice of learning and teaching; the basic principles of educational psychology; the art of teaching; the planning and administration of educational activities; school safety and health issues; and the social foundations of education.
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Students

General

Full-Time vs. Part-Time
Full-Time 100%
Part-Time 0%
Men vs. Women
Women 62%
Men 38%
Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian 91%
Other 5%
African-American 3%
Hispanic 1%
Asian 0%

Geography

In State vs. Out-of-State
In-State 86%
Out-of-State 14%
Top States for Incoming Freshman
Ohio 86%
Indiana 5%
Pennsylvania 2%
Georgia 1%
Minnesota 1%
Percent of Students International: 1%

Housing

On-Campus Housing Available: Yes
Percent of Students Living On-Campus: 72%
Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: Yes

Athletics

Member of: NAA, NCAA
Sports Include: Football (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Basketball (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Baseball (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Track (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) Expenses  
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads:
$ 19,028    
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads:
$ 400    
Financial Aid Avg. Amount Received % of Students Receiving Aid  
Federal Grants:
$ 2,984 33%  
State and Local Grants:
$ 1,640 83%  
Institutional Grants:
$ 8,699 98%  
Student Loans:
$ 4,099 93%  
Any Aid:
  100%  

Selectivity (Undergraduate Only)

Acceptance Rate: 71% (Selective)
Test Scores  
SAT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting SAT Scores: 20%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Verbal: 490, Math: 480
Top 75th Percentile: Verbal: 590, Math: 560
ACT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting ACT Scores: 78%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Composite: 19, Verbal: 18, Math: 18
Top 75th Percentile: Composite: 24, Verbal: 25, Math: 24

Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)

Application Fee: $ 20.00
Formal Demonstration of Competencies: Not Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent: Required
High School GPA: Required
High School Rank: Required
High School Record: Required
Recommendations: Required
TOEFL: Required
Test Scores: Required

Photos

  • Bluffton University logo
    Bluffton University logo [source]
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Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
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