Private nonprofit · University
Coker University
Hartsville, South Carolina · Distant town
- 94.0%
- Admit rate
- $20,286
- Avg net price
- 40%
- Graduation rate
- $40,117
- Median earnings
Coker University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Hartsville, South Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 840 undergraduates.
About Hartsville, South Carolina
Hartsville is the largest city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. Hartsville's first settlement began around 1760. The town is named for Captain Thomas E. Hart, who eventually owned most of the land in the community. Hart started a successful mercantile business, but lost his business and his land during the economic depression of 1837–1838. There are many festivals, parades, and other events that residents of Hartsville look forward to each year. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 61 miles to Columbia, SC
- To the ocean
- 82 miles
- Nearest airport
- 24 miles to Florence (FLO)
How Coker University compares
More selective than 15% · #25 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 22% · #26 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 29%
Higher than 14% · #26 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 49% · #21 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 24%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 32%
Percentiles compare Coker 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
- Undergraduate84089%
- Graduate10511%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women47857%
- Men36243%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White48%
- Black20%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial31%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 840
- Graduate enrollment
- 105
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $31,522
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $53,793
- Endowment
- $34,976,913
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 172 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina62%
- Other U.S. states36%
- International1.7%
A regional draw: about 61% of first-years come from South Carolina, the rest from elsewhere.
2% 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
- 94.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $33,416
- Room & board
- $12,114
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $45,805
- Average net price
- $20,286
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)
- 40%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 32%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 51%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,650
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $40,117
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 42%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 33%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 603
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 72%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,162
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,720
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 496 (299 men · 197 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 (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,325 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$18,227/year × about 4.3 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.
Coker University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,164. 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 187 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)
- $40,117
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 65%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 49%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $16,606 (45%) 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
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 48.5″
- Annual snow
- 0.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hartsville, SC US station (1.8 mi from campus).
What Coker University graduates study — and earn
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 Coker University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Coker University side by side →
Ozark Christian College
Joplin, Missouri · Small city · 67 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 602
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
Wilson College
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania · Small city · 46 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 865
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 3 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,343
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
Davis & Elkins College
Elkins, West Virginia · Remote town · 104 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 661
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
Columbia International University
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 6 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 716
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $39k
Herzing University-Minneapolis
St. Louis Park, Minnesota · Small city · 7 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 740
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $37k
Colleges near Coker University
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, SC · Public · Certificate · 3,055 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence
Florence, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 172 students
Northeastern Technical College
Cheraw, SC · Public · Certificate · 921 students
Francis Marion University
Florence, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,628 students
LeGrand Institute of Cosmetology Inc
Camden, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students
Morris College
Sumter, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 383 students
University of South Carolina-Sumter
Sumter, SC · Public · Associate · 716 students
Central Carolina Technical College
Sumter, SC · Public · Certificate · 2,163 students
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.













