Dallas Baptist University

Dallas Baptist University is a less selective private nonprofit university in Dallas, Texas. It admits most applicants, graduates 57% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $56,807 ten years after starting college, more than 70% of the Texas colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
89%

More selective than 42% of Texas colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$28,516 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $52,716. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
57%

Higher than 77% of Texas colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$56,807

Higher than 70% of Texas colleges we cover and 61% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

DBU acceptance rate & admissions

Of 8,018 applicants, Dallas Baptist University admitted 7,303 and 579 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 960–1213 on the SAT or 20–26 on the ACT.

8,018
Applied
7,303
Admitted
579
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years960–1213
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years20–26
First-years who sent SAT scores32%
First-year students who return64%
Pell Grant recipients23%
First-generation students32%
Women / men59% / 41%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

DBU tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$40,190
Housing & meals, on campus$10,215
Books & supplies$1,320
Total cost of attendance$52,716

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$16,000
Loan default rate5.6%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

State aid: Texas residents with financial need attending eligible private nonprofit Texas colleges may receive a Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG); amounts are set each year. Not included in the prices above. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (College for All Texans)

What DBU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Dallas Baptist University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Texas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$25,326$108,6494.7 years
$30–48k$25,996$111,5234.8 years
$48–75k$28,024$120,2235.2 years
$75–110k$28,242$121,1585.2 years
$110k+$32,273$138,4515.9 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (46% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($56,807) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $23,291 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Texas for your income →

DBU majors, earnings & careers

Dallas Baptist University offers 44 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 10
  • Business & Finance · 7
  • Science & Math · 6
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
  • Arts & Design · 4
  • Communications & Media · 3
  • Education · 3
  • Health & Medicine · 3
  • Technology & Computing · 3

Highest-earning majors at DBU

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Accounting$103,694—
Finance$78,870$22,922
Business Administration$72,897$25,500
Marketing$66,736$18,500
Entrepreneurship$65,140—
Political Science$62,372—
Biology$60,722$25,000
Bible Studies$58,031$18,987
Quick list of all 44 majors
  • Accounting$103,694
  • Arts and Entertainment Management$45,369
  • Bible Studies$58,031
  • Biology$60,722
  • Broadcasting / Digital Media$46,723
  • Business Administration$72,897
  • Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
  • Communications$48,598
  • Computer and Information Sciences—
  • Computer Science—
  • Criminal Justice—
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$54,079
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • Entrepreneurship$65,140
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Finance$78,870
  • Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
  • Health Administration—
  • History—
  • Hospitality Management—
  • Information Technology—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$49,906
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Marketing$66,736
  • Mathematics—
  • Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$55,690
  • Music—
  • Natural Sciences—
  • Pastoral Counseling / Ministry$49,408
  • Philosophy—
  • Physiology—
  • Political Science$62,372
  • Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
  • Psychology$51,088
  • Public Policy Analysis—
  • Public Relations and Advertising—
  • Religious Education$50,647
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Special Education—
  • Studio Art—
  • Theology and Religious Vocations, Other—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Business Administration → Management analyst

$102,860
Dallas
$101,400
Texas
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher

$65,070
Dallas
$62,760
Texas
$63,970
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Dallas

Cost of living
3% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,536/mo

2 bedrooms $1,807. Housing costs 18% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
57° / 96°

January and July average highs. 42 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Very High

Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (very high); winter weather (very high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Dallas County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)4,201
First-year students from Texas86%
Next most common home statesCalifornia, Washington, Missouri
AthleticsNCAA Division II without football · 8 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2496% bachelor's · 4% associate · 0% certificates
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 55% · Hispanic 16% · Black 9% · Asian 3%International 5%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Dallas County at a glance

Population2,621,179
Median household income$76,547
Adults with a bachelor's degree36%
Median age34

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare DBU with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Texas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Dallas Baptist University89%$28,51657%$56,807This school
Saint Edward's University81%$25,57863%$58,826
Houston Christian University84%$20,62949%$55,933
St. Mary's University98%$21,14559%$56,955
University of St Thomas90%$19,35969%$59,224

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Dallas Baptist University would cost you $2,938 more per year than Saint Edward's University, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Dallas Baptist University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$11,194).
  • Saint Edward's University gives aided families $16,941 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Texas residentDBUSaint Edward's UniversityDifference
Tuition & fees$40,190$51,384−$11,194
Books & supplies$1,320$2,308−$988
Housing & meals$10,215$14,010−$3,795
Personal & travel$3,195$3,150+$45
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,204−$4,133+$1,929
Sticker price$52,716$66,719−$14,003
Average grants−$24,200−$41,141+$16,941
You pay$28,516$25,578+$2,938

“+” means DBU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about DBU

What is the DBU acceptance rate?

Dallas Baptist University accepts 89% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,303 of 8,018 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 960–1213 on the SAT or 20–26 on the ACT.

How much does Dallas Baptist University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $52,716 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,516 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $25,326 and families earning $110k+ pay $32,273.

How much do DBU graduates earn?

Former Dallas Baptist University students earn a median $56,807 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the DBU graduation rate?

57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 64% return for their second year.

How long does a DBU degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Dallas Baptist University costs about $120,223 after grants ($28,024 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $56,807 ten years after starting, $23,291 more than high school graduates in Texas ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 5.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Dallas Baptist University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/dallas-baptist-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).