Public · University
Francis Marion University
Florence, South Carolina · Fringe rural
- 86.4%
- Admit rate
- $11,386
- Avg net price
- 43%
- Graduation rate
- $43,888
- Median earnings
Francis Marion University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Florence, South Carolina (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,628 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Francis Marion University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 86.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 870–1115
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.93
Enter a test score to see where you land against Francis Marion University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Francis Marion University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Florence, South Carolina
Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. Early settlers practiced subsistence farming and produced indigo, cotton, naval stores and timber, which were shipped down the Great Pee Dee River to the port at Georgetown and exported. During the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century, Florence's economy was transformed from being based largely on rail and farming into a diversified economy as the major commerce, finance, rail and trucking services, health care, and industrial center of the Eastern Carolinas. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 56 miles to Myrtle Beach, SC
- To the ocean
- 56 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Florence (FLO)
How Francis Marion University compares
More selective than 32% · #22 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 9%
Higher than 28% · #22 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 31%
Higher than 21% · #19 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 87% · #2 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 11%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 65%
Percentiles compare Francis Marion 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
- Undergraduate2,62886%
- Graduate42014%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,80269%
- Men82631%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White46%
- Black38%
- Hispanic6.5%
- Asian1.3%
- Other or multiracial8.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,628
- Graduate enrollment
- 420
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 36%
- Students over 25
- 8%
- Median family income
- $30,782
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,554
- Endowment
- $51,785,607
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 632 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina92%
- Other U.S. states5.7%
- International2.7%
Most first-years stay in state — Francis Marion University draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
3% 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
- 86.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 870–1115
- SAT average
- 1015
- SAT reading
- 450–575
- SAT math
- 420–540
- ACT composite
- 16–24
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.93
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,160
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,544
- Room & board
- $9,432
- Books & supplies
- $1,238
- Total cost of attendance
- $23,850
- Average net price
- $11,386
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)
- 43%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 24%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 37%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,304
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,888
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 38%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 34%
About 20% 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)
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
- 1,539
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 59%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,670
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,228
- Application fee
- $41
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 399 (230 men · 169 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 (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 7
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,112 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.
$11,582/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.
Modest institutional aid: 46% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,952. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
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 611 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)
- $43,888
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 62%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.2 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 $11,569 (28%) 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
- 36°F
- Annual rain
- 45.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Florence Rgnl AP, SC US station (4.1 mi from campus).
What Francis Marion 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 Francis Marion University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Francis Marion University side by side →
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 59 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 1,504
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 977
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $43k
Lander University
Greenwood, South Carolina · Distant town · 47 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 3,397
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1057
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $42k
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 55 mi to Washington
- Students
- 2,344
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 1034
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, North Carolina · Distant town · 71 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 5,330
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 1056
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 2,708
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1047
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $42k
Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, Missouri · Small city · 65 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 3,019
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1065
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Francis Marion University
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence
Florence, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 172 students
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, SC · Public · Certificate · 3,055 students
Academy for Careers and Technology
Mullins, SC · Public · Certificate · 37 students
Coker University
Hartsville, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 840 students
Personal Touch Beauty and Barber College
Kingstree, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 7 students
Williamsburg Technical College
Kingstree, SC · Public · Certificate · 448 students
Northeastern Technical College
Cheraw, SC · Public · Certificate · 921 students
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 5,330 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.











