Private nonprofit · University

Allen University

Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city

#1 best value in South Carolina
72.5%
Admit rate
$10,972
Avg net price
13%
Graduation rate
$30,497
Median earnings

Allen University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Columbia, South Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 576 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a African Methodist Episcopal religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 576 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 73% admitNCAA Division II with football · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

About Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. In May 1540, a Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto traversed what is now Columbia while moving northward on exploration of the interior of the Southeast. Alternacirque, professional circus that produces variety shows and full-scale themed productions. Formed in 2007, Alternacirque is directed by Natalie Brown. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Columbia, SC
To the ocean
101 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Columbia Metropolitan (CAE)

How Allen University compares

Selectivity72.5%

More selective than 59% · #16 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

Graduation rate13%

Higher than 3% · #35 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention45%

Higher than 4%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$30,497

Higher than 3% · #34 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$10,972

Cheaper than 88% · #1 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$34,290

Lower than 2%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment576

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Allen University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

610students
  • Undergraduate57694%
  • Graduate346%

Undergraduates by gender

576undergrads
  • Women28850%
  • Men28850%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.7%
  • Black92%
  • Hispanic4.2%
  • Other or multiracial3.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
576
Graduate enrollment
34
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
77%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$18,921
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$49,518
Endowment
$580,231

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
72.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,304
Room & board
$8,584
Books & supplies
$1,308
Total cost of attendance
$23,998
Average net price
$10,972

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
13%
Graduated on time (4 years)
7%
First-year retention
45%
Transferred to another college
4%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$23,889
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$30,497
Median debt at graduation
$34,290
Students with federal loans
80%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
8%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
425
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
319 (195 men · 124 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Football125
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)56
Wrestling41
Basketball40
Volleyball22
Soccer19
Softball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (610 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,553
$30–48k
$9,375
$48–75k
$12,610
$75–110k
$12,976
$110k+
$13,298

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$59,635

$12,610/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,164
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 83% — get grant money from Allen University itself, averaging $8,164, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 169 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$30,497
Typical debt at graduation
$34,290
Debt vs. one year's pay
112%
Out-earn a HS grad
21%

Typical debt would take roughly 11.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$28,824
Men
$33,329

Men out-earn women by $4,505 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
96°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbia Univ OF SC, SC US station (1.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Allen University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Allen University side by side →

Colleges near Allen University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.