Private nonprofit · College

Barton College

Wilson, North Carolina · Fringe town

94.2%
Admit rate
$23,626
Avg net price
46%
Graduation rate
$47,913
Median earnings

Barton College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wilson, North Carolina (fringe town setting), enrolling 982 undergraduates. It has a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 982 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 94% admitNCAA Division II with football · South Atlantic Conference

About Wilson, North Carolina

Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. The history of the city of Wilson began with a community that formed around Toisnot Primitive Baptist Church, built in the early 1800s. The community was originally called Toisnot. In 1836, the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Co. began building a Wilmington-to-Weldon line. Wilson is the birthplace of Branch Banking and Trust Corporation, now Truist Financial. Now headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist Financial is among Wilson County's top employers, with around 2,000 people working in various financial services. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
41 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean
50 miles
Nearest airport
30 miles to Pitt-Greenville (PGV)

How Barton College compares

Selectivity94.2%

More selective than 15% · #50 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate46%

Higher than 32% · #32 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention65%

Higher than 21%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,913

Higher than 33% · #24 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$23,626

Cheaper than 33% · #44 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$25,877

Lower than 26%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment982

Larger than 37%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,068students
  • Undergraduate98292%
  • Graduate868%

Undergraduates by gender

982undergrads
  • Women71773%
  • Men26527%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black33%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial6.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
982
Graduate enrollment
86
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$38,256
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,039
Endowment
$25,410,090

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 281 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina75%
  • Other U.S. states20%
  • International4.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Barton College draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

5% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
94.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$37,250
Room & board
$14,130
Books & supplies
$674
Total cost of attendance
$51,935
Average net price
$23,626

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)
46%
Graduated on time (4 years)
35%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,785
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,913
Median debt at graduation
$25,877
Students with federal loans
64%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
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
651
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
66%
Housing charge (year)
$4,800
Meal plan (year)
$6,700
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
South Atlantic Conference
Varsity athletes
710 (480 men · 230 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 (14)

Football153
Soccer81
Baseball79
Lacrosse79
Basketball69
Volleyball41
Other Sports41
Track and Field (Outdoor)35
Swimming30
Tennis30
Softball26
Golf25
Bowling12
Cross Country9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,235 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.7
Rape
0.7
Robbery
0.3

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
$19,641
$30–48k
$18,497
$48–75k
$22,510
$75–110k
$25,308
$110k+
$30,286

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
$98,015

$22,510/year × about 4.4 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,552
average award, among those who get one

Barton College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,552. 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 299 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)
$47,913
Typical debt at graduation
$25,877
Debt vs. one year's pay
54%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$45,918
Men
$52,794

Men out-earn women by $6,876 (15%) 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
90°F
Winter low
33°F
Annual rain
50.3″
Annual snow
1.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wilson 3 SW, NC US station (3.3 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 Barton College

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

Colleges near Barton College

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.