Private nonprofit · University

Anderson University

Anderson, South Carolina · Small city

54.7%
Admit rate
$23,544
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$42,101
Median earnings

Anderson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Anderson, South Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 3,183 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,183 undergradsSmall citySelective · 55% admitNCAA Division III with football · South Atlantic ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Anderson University's admitted students.

Admit rate
54.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1100–1280
Avg GPA (est.)
3.49

Enter a test score to see where you land against Anderson University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Anderson University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Anderson, South Carolina

Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. Cherokee first settled the area of what is today the city of Anderson. During the American Revolution, the Cherokee sided with the British. After the American Revolutionary War, the Cherokee's land was acquired as war reparations and colonized. Anderson is home to the largest Glen Raven, Inc. manufacturing center facility, which focuses on manufacturing Sunbrella fabrics. Anderson's economy revolves around manufacturing. It has over 230 manufacturers, including 22 international companies. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
171 miles
Nearest airport
36 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)

How Anderson University compares

Selectivity54.7%

More selective than 81% · #6 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1202

Higher than 59%

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 70% · #7 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention82%

Higher than 67%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,101

Higher than 18% · #22 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$23,544

Cheaper than 33% · #31 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$26,700

Lower than 19%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment3,183

Larger than 70%

Percentiles compare Anderson 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

4,210students
  • Undergraduate3,18376%
  • Graduate1,02724%

Undergraduates by gender

3,183undergrads
  • Women2,21470%
  • Men96930%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White83%
  • Black5.5%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial4.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,183
Graduate enrollment
1,027
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$64,916
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,715
Endowment
$65,010,089

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

Admissions

Admission rate
54.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1100–1280
SAT average
1202
SAT reading
560–650
SAT math
540–630
ACT composite
22–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.49

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,970
Room & board
$12,720
Books & supplies
$600
Total cost of attendance
$50,192
Average net price
$23,544

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)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
64%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,073
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,101
Median debt at graduation
$26,700
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
54%
First-generation
51%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,073
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
65%
Housing charge (year)
$6,310
Meal plan (year)
$5,890
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
South Atlantic Conference
Varsity athletes
583 (380 men · 203 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)157
Football112
Lacrosse80
Soccer66
Baseball50
Basketball31
Tennis30
Golf21
Softball18
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
11
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,710 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.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

6.0reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Burglary
1.7
Fondling
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$17,188
$30–48k
$18,724
$48–75k
$19,647
$75–110k
$24,926
$110k+
$27,080

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
$79,221

$19,647/year × about 4.0 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,965
average award, among those who get one

Anderson University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,965. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 796 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)
$42,101
Typical debt at graduation
$26,700
Debt vs. one year's pay
63%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.3 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
$38,768
Men
$52,865

Men out-earn women by $14,097 (36%) 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
91°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
50.2″
Annual snow
0.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Anderson, SC US station (1.5 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 Anderson University

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

Colleges near Anderson 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.