Private nonprofit · University

Gardner-Webb University

Boiling Springs, North Carolina · Distant rural

77.2%
Admit rate
$17,674
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$48,039
Median earnings

Gardner-Webb University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Boiling Springs, North Carolina (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,856 undergraduates. It has a Southern Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,856 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big South ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Gardner-Webb University's admitted students.

Admit rate
77.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
975–1198
Avg GPA (est.)
3.21

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

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

About Boiling Springs, North Carolina

Boiling Springs is a town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States, in the westernmost part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, approximately 50 miles away from the city. People began settling the area around the namesake boiling springs in 1843. The first families to settle were the Hamricks, the Greenes and the McSwains. It was only appropriate that the settlement be named Boiling Springs. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
188 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)

How Gardner-Webb University compares

Selectivity77.2%

More selective than 50% · #33 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1113

Higher than 34%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 51% · #21 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention55%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,039

Higher than 33% · #22 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$17,674

Cheaper than 61% · #23 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$24,222

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,856

Larger than 55%

Percentiles compare Gardner-Webb University 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

3,099students
  • Undergraduate1,85660%
  • Graduate1,24340%

Undergraduates by gender

1,856undergrads
  • Women1,25167%
  • Men60533%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic4.0%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial30%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,856
Graduate enrollment
1,243
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
25%
Median family income
$36,486
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,375
Endowment
$79,248,690

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

Admissions

Admission rate
77.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
975–1198
SAT average
1113
SAT reading
495–608
SAT math
480–590
ACT composite
19–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.21

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,760
Room & board
$11,410
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$47,091
Average net price
$17,674

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)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
48%
First-year retention
55%
Transferred to another college
36%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,996
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,039
Median debt at graduation
$24,222
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 8% 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
48%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
42%

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
1,368
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Housing charge (year)
$5,410
Meal plan (year)
$5,360
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big South Conference
Varsity athletes
637 (407 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)

Football118
Soccer108
Track and Field (Outdoor)57
Track and Field (Indoor)56
Basketball45
Baseball44
Swimming43
Wrestling38
Lacrosse27
Softball25
Golf20
Cross Country20
Tennis19
Volleyball17

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,104 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
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
$15,304
$30–48k
$14,594
$48–75k
$13,769
$75–110k
$15,946
$110k+
$22,438

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
$57,887

$13,769/year × about 4.2 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,279
average award, among those who get one

Gardner-Webb University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,279. 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 403 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)
$48,039
Typical debt at graduation
$24,222
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$46,431
Men
$51,979

Men out-earn women by $5,548 (12%) 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
91°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Shelby 2 NW, NC US station (7 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 Gardner-Webb University

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

Colleges near Gardner-Webb 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.