Private nonprofit · University
Mars Hill University
Mars Hill, North Carolina · Fringe rural
- 67.9%
- Admit rate
- $19,910
- Avg net price
- 45%
- Graduation rate
- $44,781
- Median earnings
Mars Hill University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Mars Hill, North Carolina (fringe rural setting), enrolling 1,044 undergraduates.
About Mars Hill, North Carolina
Mars Hill is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The California Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Mars Hill College Historic District, Mars Hill High School, and Thomas J. Murray House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 16 miles to Asheville, NC
- To the ocean
- 247 miles
- Nearest airport
- 27 miles to Asheville (AVL)
How Mars Hill University compares
More selective than 67% · #19 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 30% · #34 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 29%
Higher than 23% · #33 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 51% · #31 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 24%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 39%
Percentiles compare Mars Hill 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
- Undergraduate1,04496%
- Graduate494%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women58956%
- Men45544%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White63%
- Black16%
- Hispanic9.5%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,044
- Graduate enrollment
- 49
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 46%
- First-generation students
- 34%
- Students over 25
- 9%
- Median family income
- $38,916
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $53,415
- Endowment
- $60,811,910
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 318 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina55%
- Other U.S. states38%
- International6.6%
A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from North Carolina, the rest from elsewhere.
7% 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
- 67.9%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $37,736
- Room & board
- $12,258
- Total cost of attendance
- $50,099
- Average net price
- $19,910
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)
- 45%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 34%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 18%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,680
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,781
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 62%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
About 11% 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
- 818
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 78%
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- South Atlantic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 744 (476 men · 268 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 (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,110 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.
$20,628/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.
Mars Hill University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,536. 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 247 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)
- $44,781
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 58%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 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 $3,316 (8%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 41.6″
- Annual snow
- 25.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marshall, NC US station (6.6 mi from campus).
What Mars Hill 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 Mars Hill University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mars Hill University side by side →
Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, Missouri · Distant town · 28 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,341
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $43k
Evangel University
Springfield, Missouri · Midsize city · 2 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,229
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1188
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $47k
Tusculum University
Greeneville, Tennessee · Distant town · 42 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 785
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Missouri Valley College
Marshall, Missouri · Remote town · 47 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,443
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 974
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Milligan University
Milligan, Tennessee · Midsize suburb · 51 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 818
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1189
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $47k
Greensboro College
Greensboro, North Carolina · Large city · < 1 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 708
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near Mars Hill University
University of North Carolina Asheville
Asheville, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,910 students
Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts
Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Graduate
Center for Massage
Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 51 students
Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 707 students
Carolina College of Hair Design Inc
Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, NC · Public · Certificate · 5,110 students
Montreat College
Montreat, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 762 students
Galen Health Institutes-Asheville
Asheville, NC · Private for-profit · Associate · 253 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.













