St. Francis vs Taylor: Softball Program Comparison

Two NAIA programs. St. Francis lists $2,104 less in tuition; Taylor graduates 12 points more of its students.

Which one is right for you?

Neither school is better in the abstract — they are better for different athletes. These are the differences big enough to actually decide on.

Lean St. Francis if…

  • You are weighing the degree as an investment: St. Francis graduates earn about $11,728 more per year a decade after enrolling.

Lean Taylor if…

  • Finishing the degree is the priority: Taylor graduates 12 percentage points more of its students than St. Francis.
  • You need an evaluation this summer: we track 1 camp at Taylor against none listed at St. Francis.

What it costs to go there

Published sticker price from IPEDS. Almost nobody pays it — athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off the top — but the gap between two schools is a fair read on the gap between two offers.

What it costs to go there: St. Francis compared with Taylor
MeasureSt. FrancisTaylor
Tuition & feesBoth schools charge one rate regardless of residency.$37,000 St. Francis leads on this measure: lower published tuition$39,104
Room & board$11,980$10,888 Taylor leads on this measure: lower room & board
Est. year, all inTuition & fees plus room & board. Excludes books, travel and any aid.$48,980$49,992

What you leave with

Federal College Scorecard figures for all students at the institution, not softball players specifically. Read them as a signal about the degree, not about the program.

What you leave with: St. Francis compared with Taylor
MeasureSt. FrancisTaylor
Graduation rate65%77% Taylor leads on this measure: higher share of students finishing their degree
Median earnings, 10 years after entry$63,926/yr St. Francis leads on this measure: higher median earnings a decade out$52,198/yr
Median debt at graduation$21,079$20,500
Debt as a share of year-10 payMedian debt divided by median earnings 10 years after entry. Lower is easier to pay back.33% St. Francis leads on this measure: debt is a smaller share of what graduates earn39%

Getting in, and what you'd walk into

Admissions and size. A coach can support your file, but at most schools they cannot admit you — the academic profile below is the bar you still have to clear.

Getting in, and what you'd walk into: St. Francis compared with Taylor
MeasureSt. FrancisTaylor
Admission rateLower means more selective — harder to get in, but not automatically the better fit.65%74%
Total enrollmentNeither is better — it is the difference between a lecture hall and a seminar table.3,1852,398
Where it isJoliet, ILUpland, IN

The softball program itself

Division and conference set the ceiling; the postseason record and staff tell you what the program has actually done with it.

The softball program itself: St. Francis compared with Taylor
MeasureSt. FrancisTaylor
ConferenceCCACCROSS
Head coachAlyssa MorenoDoug Gower

How you actually get in front of them

Camps and questionnaires are the two channels a recruit controls. Where a program runs its own camp, that camp is usually the shortest path to being evaluated by the staff that would recruit you.

How you actually get in front of them: St. Francis compared with Taylor
MeasureSt. FrancisTaylor
Camps we track1 listed (1 with dates)
Recruiting questionnaireYesYes
Program on X / InstagramYes

Scholarship money, honestly

Both programs sit at NAIA, so the scholarship rules are identical: 10 (equivalency). NAIA softball allows 10 scholarship equivalencies, and coaches have flexibility in how they divide them. Most awards are partial, frequently stacked with academic aid.

How NAIA softball scholarships actually work →

What to do about it this week

Questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit one at any age. A program's own camp is where its staff does most of its evaluating — submit the questionnaire first so they know to look for you.

St. Francis

Open the recruiting questionnaire

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Taylor

Open the recruiting questionnaire

Camps we track

St. Francis vs Taylor: common questions

Is St. Francis or Taylor cheaper?
Published cost is effectively the same — about $48,980 a year in tuition and housing at both, before any aid. Cost is unlikely to be what decides this one.
Which school graduates more of its students, St. Francis or Taylor?
Taylor, at 77% against 65% at St. Francis (IPEDS, 2023-24). That is the whole student body, not the softball roster.
Do St. Francis and Taylor offer softball scholarships?
Both play at NAIA: 10 (equivalency). NAIA softball allows 10 scholarship equivalencies, and coaches have flexibility in how they divide them. Most awards are partial, frequently stacked with academic aid.
Do St. Francis and Taylor run softball camps?
We track 1 camp at Taylor and none currently listed at St. Francis. Camp listings change through the year — check the program's own site before ruling it out.
How do I contact the coaches at St. Francis and Taylor?
Both programs run a recruiting questionnaire, and that is the right first move — it is exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit it at any age. Fill out both, then follow with an email to each staff.

Cost, graduation and enrollment figures from IPEDS (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-24). Earnings, debt and admission rates from the federal College Scorecard. Postseason results from the NCAA Division I softball tournament records, 2021-2026. Rankings from NCAA.com and U.S. News & World Report. Figures describe the institution, not the softball roster.

We work hard to keep all data for St. Francis and Taylor accurate and up-to-date, but we sometimes miss changes or get something wrong.

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