“A tiny Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college on the Kansas plains, where Anabaptist conviction shapes a tight-knit residential campus.”
Tabor College is a small private Christian liberal arts college owned and operated by the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Founded in 1908 by Mennonite Brethren and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren immigrants who had settled the central Kansas prairies a generation earlier, Tabor sits in Hillsboro — a town of roughly 2,800 people about 50 miles north of Wichita. The college's identity is rooted in Anabaptist conviction: a 500-year-old Christian tradition that emphasizes adult believer's baptism, simple living, community over individualism, biblical discipleship, and a peace witness that historically led Mennonites to refuse military service. Faith pervades the academic and residential rhythm — chapel, service learning, and ethical formation are woven into the curriculum rather than treated as electives. Academically, Tabor offers more than 40 undergraduate programs centered on a residential liberal arts core. Its strongest signature areas are music (with specialized accreditation and a long performance tradition tied to the Mennonite choral heritage), business, education, and nursing, alongside well-trodden pre-health pathways. Class sizes are small (15:1 student-faculty ratio), professors know students by name, and undergraduate research and ministry placements are accessible from the first year. The Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies on campus archives the denomination's history and anchors the college's distinctive theological perspective. Life at Tabor is unmistakably small-town and residential. Roughly 95 percent of traditional undergraduates live on campus, freshmen are required to do so, and student culture revolves around residence halls, the chapel, NAIA athletics, and music ensembles. The Bluejays compete across 19 varsity sports in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. International students arrive from more than 20 countries each year and find a community small enough to be known personally — but should expect a rural Kansas setting, a sincerely Christian institutional voice, and limited urban amenities outside the local Mennonite community.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
Tabor uses continuous/rolling admission; applications accepted year-round. After July 15, the enrollment deposit increases to $250.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$36,200
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$29,500 – $36,200
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
One of Tabor's earliest and largest academic divisions, training undergraduates for careers in management, accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship within a values-driven Christian framework.
Prepares licensed teachers across elementary, secondary, and physical education tracks with extensive classroom placements in Kansas school districts. CAEP-accredited.
A signature program reflecting the Mennonite choral heritage, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Strong choirs, instrumental ensembles, and worship-leadership tracks.
Offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing alongside pre-professional advising for medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant programs.
Houses the college's distinctive Anabaptist theological identity, with majors in Christian Ministries, Biblical & Theological Studies, and Youth Ministry; closely linked to the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
Includes Tabor's CSWE-accredited Social Work program along with Psychology, Criminal Justice, and History — popular pre-professional and pre-law tracks.
4 years
Tabor's NASM-accredited music program is a defining strength, drawing on the rich Mennonite choral and hymn-singing tradition. Students perform in the Concert Choir, Symphonic Band, and chamber ensembles, and tour regionally. Graduates feed into K-12 music classrooms, worship leadership, and graduate study.
4 years
A four-year residential BSN with small cohorts and clinical placements across central Kansas. Strong NCLEX pass rates and a values-rooted formation that emphasizes whole-person, ethical care.
4 years
Anchored in Tabor's Anabaptist heritage, this program prepares students for pastoral ministry, missions, and church leadership through integrated coursework, mentoring, and supervised ministry placements with Mennonite Brethren and other evangelical churches.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $36,200
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
