Public · University

Francis Marion University

Florence, South Carolina · Fringe rural

#2 best value in South Carolina
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.

PublicMidsize · 2,628 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division II without football

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
To the ocean
56 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Florence (FLO)

How Francis Marion University compares

Selectivity86.4%

More selective than 32% · #22 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1015

Higher than 9%

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 28% · #22 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,888

Higher than 21% · #19 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$11,386

Cheaper than 87% · #2 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment2,628

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

3,048students
  • Undergraduate2,62886%
  • Graduate42014%

Undergraduates by gender

2,628undergrads
  • 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)

All students
24%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
36%

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)

Soccer87
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)84
Baseball71
Basketball47
Other Sports32
Softball27
Tennis24
Volleyball18
Golf9

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.

3.3reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Aggravated assault
0.7
Burglary
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$9,723
$30–48k
$9,449
$48–75k
$11,582
$75–110k
$13,788
$110k+
$17,435

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
$54,272

$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.

46%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,952
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$40,669
Men
$52,238

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

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Florence Rgnl AP, SC US station (4.1 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 Francis Marion University

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

Colleges near Francis Marion 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.