About Butler

At a Glance

Who We Are

Founded in 1855, Butler is a nationally recognized comprehensive university that blends the liberal arts with first-rate pre-professional programs.

Our mission is to provide the highest quality of liberal and professional education and to integrate the liberal arts with professional education, by creating and fostering a stimulating intellectual community built upon interactive dialogue and inquiry among students, faculty and staff.

We prepare each graduate not simply to make a living but to make a life of purpose, in which personal flourishing is intertwined with the welfare of others. 

National Recognition

  • Ranked 2nd best university in the Regional Universities Midwest category of the 2012 U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges. This same publication ranked Butler as the No. 1 "Up-and-Coming" institution among Regional Universities Midwest, and one of 68 nationwide.
  • Named a "Best in the Midwest" college by the Princeton Review.
  • Ranked among the best schools in the nation in Forbes' annual ranking of 650 undergraduate institutions.
  • Named among an elite group of 49 "Best Buy" schools according to the 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges.
  • Butler's part-time MBA program was ranked 8th in the Midwest and 36th in the nation by BusinessWeek magazine;
  • Ranked 58th in the BusinessWeek ranking of the best U.S. undergraduate business programs for 2011.

Campus

Butler is located on the north side of Indianapolis, approximately five miles from downtown in a residential neighborhood. The Hoosier capital is the 12th-largest city in the United States. The 290-acre Butler campus in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood is hailed as one of the most attractive in the Midwest for its park-like setting.

Areas of Study

More than 60 major academic fields of study, including a doctor of pharmacy and 18 master's programs, are offered in six academic colleges: Business, Communication, Education, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Enrollment

Fall 2011 enrollment includes 4,034 full-time undergraduate and 4,667 total students. The students come from 45 states and 52 countries.

2011 Freshman Class Profile

3.76 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
8 National Merit/ National Achievement Scholars
19 Lilly Scholars
11.2 percent of the class is multicultural

2011-2012 Undergraduate Costs

Tuition (non-pharmacy): $31,110
Room and board: $10,060
Fees: $838

In the Classroom

Full-time faculty: 339
Teaching assistants: 0
Student to faculty ratio: 11:1
Average class size: 20

Retention and Graduation Rates

Eighty-seven percent of students return to Butler following their freshman year; 73 percent of freshmen graduate from Butler.

Placement Rates

Overall placement rate averages 93 percent including 23 percent of graduates who go on to graduate or professional school.

Activities

Butler offers more than 140 official student organizations with activities ranging from religious and spiritual to service-oriented and political. Over 94 percent of students are involved in campus activities; 100 percent participate in community service as part of the University's Indianapolis Community Requirement.

Athletics

Butler has 19 varsity sports. Except for football, all compete in the NCAA Division I Horizon League. Football participates in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the Pioneer Football League.