Founded in 1858, Baker holds the distinction of being the first four-year university in Kansas. More than 165 years later, the university continues to pair its historic character with a student-centered approach to education. Baker offers programs across the liberal arts and sciences as well as professionally focused fields, with opportunities for students to learn through research, internships, field experiences, leadership, and other forms of experiential learning.
One of Baker's most distinctive resources is the Baker University Wetlands, a 927-acre natural area near Lawrence encompassing wetlands, prairie, open water, and riparian habitat. The Wetlands serve as a living laboratory where students can participate in fieldwork, research, conservation, and environmental education while studying one of Kansas's most diverse natural environments.
Baker has also earned recognition for the outcomes of its graduates. The university reports the highest return on investment among private colleges in Kansas, based on research from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, and says its graduates earn the highest average salaries among Kansas universities. These outcomes reflect Baker's longstanding emphasis on combining rigorous academics with meaningful mentorship and career preparation.
Rooted in a tradition that began with Methodist founders on the Kansas frontier, Baker continues to emphasize education, community, service, and preparing students to make meaningful contributions beyond the classroom. Its combination of history, personal attention, experiential learning, and strong student outcomes makes Baker a natural addition to the SAGE Scholars College Consortium.
SAGE Scholars is proud to welcome Baker University to its consortium of private colleges and universities and looks forward to connecting Tuition Rewards families with all that Baker has to offer.
Baker University
At Baker University, we don't do average. Baker graduates see the best return on investment of any college in Kansas and the highest starting salaries in the state, backed by a 99% career placement rate. That's not luck. It's what happens when small classes, faculty who know your name, and real career preparation come together for four years.
Founded in 1858, before Kansas was even a state, Baker was the first four-year university in Kansas, built by people who saw what the frontier needed and went and built it. That same instinct still drives us today: we recognize students for both academic achievement and the impact they bring to campus, through Merit Scholarships tied to grades and Impact Scholarships that reward talent in athletics, music, theatre, leadership, and more, real dollars, awarded automatically, no audition required.
Located in the picturesque community of Baldwin City, about 45 miles west of Kansas City and 12 miles south of Lawrence, Baker offers a traditional residential college experience in a historic, park-like setting, close enough to a major metro for internships and opportunity, far enough away for a real community to take hold.
The results speak for themselves. Baker graduates have gone on to careers as writers, scientists, teachers, business leaders, performers, and politicians. Four have been named Rhodes Scholars, one has earned a Pulitzer Prize, and three buildings on Baker's Baldwin City campus are on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a school with a track record of producing people who lead, and it's only getting bolder from here.
SAGE Scholars at Baker:
Already saving through SAGE Scholars Tuition Rewards? Baker honors every point you've earned, and adds an extra $1,000 a year on top for non-athletes, simply for being part of the program. Your family's planning ahead pays off twice.
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