Public · University
Lander University
Greenwood, South Carolina · Distant town
- 81.3%
- Admit rate
- $15,363
- Avg net price
- 50%
- Graduation rate
- $42,396
- Median earnings
Lander University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Greenwood, South Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 3,397 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Lander University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 81.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 950–1178
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.06
Enter a test score to see where you land against Lander University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Lander University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Greenwood, South Carolina
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina. In 1823 John McGehee and his wife Charlotte built a summerhouse called "Green Wood" midway between the cities of Abbeville and Cambridge in order to have cleaner air. Nearby, a village named Woodville was formed in 1837 with a post office. Greenwood's first South Carolina Festival of Flowers was held in the summer of 1968 to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration of George W. Park Seed Company. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 47 miles to Greenville, SC
- To the ocean
- 137 miles
- Nearest airport
- 48 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)
How Lander University compares
More selective than 42% · #20 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 18%
Higher than 39% · #16 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 29%
Higher than 18% · #21 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 71% · #10 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 34%
Lower than 18%
Larger than 71%
Percentiles compare Lander University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.
Lander University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,39785%
- Graduate60215%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,42171%
- Men97629%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White65%
- Black24%
- Hispanic2.1%
- Other or multiracial9.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,397
- Graduate enrollment
- 602
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 39%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $40,987
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,743
- Endowment
- $25,729,201
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 846 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina88%
- Other U.S. states9.3%
- International3.1%
Most first-years stay in state — Lander 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
- 81.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 950–1178
- SAT average
- 1057
- SAT reading
- 490–608
- SAT math
- 460–570
- ACT composite
- 16–23
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.06
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,700
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,300
- Room & board
- $12,100
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $27,277
- Average net price
- $15,363
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)
- 50%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 26%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,851
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,396
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 49%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 38%
About 14% 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
- 1,800
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 53%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,500
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,100
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 702 (385 men · 317 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,378 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.
$13,842/year × about 4.4 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: 64% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,477. 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 841 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)
- $42,396
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 59%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 54%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $6,986 (17%) 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
- 33°F
- Annual rain
- 42″
- Annual snow
- 1.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Greenwood, SC US station (0.4 mi from campus).
What Lander 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 Lander University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lander University side by side →
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
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina · Large city · 1 mi to Durham
- Students
- 6,081
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama · Small suburb · 64 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 7,036
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1059
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $45k
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, Louisiana · Small city · 72 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 5,005
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $46k
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 3 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 5,484
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
Fort Lewis College
Durango, Colorado · Distant town · 166 mi to Albuquerque
- Students
- 3,079
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1111
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
Colleges near Lander University
Piedmont Technical College
Greenwood, SC · Public · Certificate · 3,977 students
Erskine College
Due West, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 766 students
Presbyterian College
Clinton, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 852 students
Newberry College
Newberry, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,479 students
Anderson University
Anderson, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,183 students
Arclabs
Piedmont, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 744 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Greenville
Greenville, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 196 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Greenville
Greenville, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 157 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.















