Private nonprofit · University
Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina · Large city
- 45.2%
- Admit rate
- $20,894
- Avg net price
- 34%
- Graduation rate
- $42,680
- Median earnings
Johnson C Smith University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Charlotte, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 1,244 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
About Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The Catawba Indians are the earliest known inhabitants of the Charlotte area. They were first encountered in the region in 1567 by the Spanish Conquistador Juan Pardo. The Charlotte region is home to many annual festivals and special events. The Carolina Renaissance Festival operates on Saturdays and Sundays each October and November. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Charlotte, NC
- To the ocean
- 155 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) · major hub
How Johnson C Smith University compares
More selective than 86% · #10 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 16% · #46 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 34%
Higher than 19% · #41 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 46% · #36 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 4%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 44%
Percentiles compare Johnson C Smith University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.
Johnson C Smith University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,24496%
- Graduate504%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women72959%
- Men51541%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White0.6%
- Black81%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,244
- Graduate enrollment
- 50
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 69%
- First-generation students
- 36%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $26,404
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $70,254
- Endowment
- $69,181,754
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 283 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina47%
- Other U.S. states52%
A regional draw: about 46% of first-years come from North Carolina, the rest from elsewhere.
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
- 45.2%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $21,300
- Room & board
- $8,600
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $34,923
- Average net price
- $20,894
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)
- 34%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 22%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,478
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,680
- Median debt at graduation
- $30,000
- Students with federal loans
- 75%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 22%
About 13% 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
- 1,039
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 84%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,000
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,014
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 319 (216 men · 103 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 (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 5.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,302 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.
$21,005/year × about 4.6 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 68% — get grant money from Johnson C Smith University itself, averaging $10,128, 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 259 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)
- $42,680
- Typical debt at graduation
- $30,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 70%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 42%
Typical debt would take roughly 7.0 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.
Women out-earn men by $2,981 (7%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 43.6″
- Annual snow
- 3.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charlotte Douglas AP, NC US station (5.7 mi from campus).
What Johnson C Smith 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 Johnson C Smith University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Johnson C Smith University side by side →
Oakwood University
Huntsville, Alabama · Midsize city · 4 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 1,153
- Admission
- 45%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $42k
Huston-Tillotson University
Austin, Texas · Large city · 1 mi to Austin
- Students
- 1,005
- Admission
- 39%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1014
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Brevard College
Brevard, North Carolina · Distant town · 27 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 815
- Admission
- 42%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1060
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $44k
Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana · Large city · 3 mi to New Orleans
- Students
- 1,063
- Admission
- 42%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $39k
Warner University
Lake Wales, Florida · Fringe rural · 51 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 756
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 932
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $46k
Ohio Christian University
Circleville, Ohio · Fringe rural · 25 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 862
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Johnson C Smith University
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 1,184 students
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC · Public · Associate · 15,067 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 97 students
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,211 students
Empire Beauty School-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 90 students
Carolinas College of Health Sciences
Charlotte, NC · Public · Certificate · 533 students
No Grease Barber School
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 28 students
Southeastern College-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 252 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.














