Private nonprofit · University

Converse University

Spartanburg, South Carolina · Small city

67.7%
Admit rate
$23,283
Avg net price
62%
Graduation rate
$40,867
Median earnings

Converse University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Spartanburg, South Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 1,173 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,173 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 68% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
67.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1010–1250
Avg GPA (est.)
3.30

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

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

About Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spartanburg, also known as "Sparkle City", is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. Spartanburg was formed in 1785 after a deal was made with the Cherokee in 1753, and was named after a local militia in the American Revolutionary War, the Spartan Regiment. The regiment, commanded by Andrew Pickens, participated in the Battle of Cowpens. Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg's cultural anchor for history, art, theatre, dance, music, and science, is in a three-building complex on the northern edge of downtown. (Wikipedia)

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

How Converse University compares

Selectivity67.7%

More selective than 67% · #13 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1138

Higher than 42%

Graduation rate62%

Higher than 63% · #10 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention80%

Higher than 61%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,867

Higher than 16% · #24 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$23,283

Cheaper than 35% · #30 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,173

Larger than 42%

Percentiles compare Converse 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

1,787students
  • Undergraduate1,17366%
  • Graduate61434%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White43%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial33%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,173
Graduate enrollment
614
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$48,877
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$59,076
Endowment
$88,497,169

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

Admissions

Admission rate
67.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1010–1250
SAT average
1138
SAT reading
510–630
SAT math
500–620
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.30

Cost

In-state tuition
$25,240
Room & board
$13,380
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$38,838
Average net price
$23,283

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)
62%
Graduated on time (4 years)
56%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,110
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,867
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
56%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
43%

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
500
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
43%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
465 (180 men · 285 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)

Soccer76
Track and Field (Outdoor)67
Track and Field (Indoor)66
Basketball37
Swimming32
Gymnastics29
Field Hockey28
Cross Country27
Softball23
Lacrosse22
Tennis22
Volleyball17
Equestrian11
Golf8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
14

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,787 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.

5.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Fondling
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
$14,137
$30–48k
$18,500
$48–75k
$23,610
$75–110k
$24,754
$110k+
$29,105

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
$97,484

$23,610/year × about 4.1 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
$9,206
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Converse University itself, averaging $9,206, 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 219 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)
$40,867
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
66%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.6 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
50.2″
Annual snow
0.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Spartanburg 3 Sse, SC 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 Converse University

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

Colleges near Converse 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.