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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,044 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 68% admitNCAA Division II with football · South Atlantic ConferenceCold winters

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
To the ocean
247 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Asheville (AVL)

How Mars Hill University compares

Selectivity67.9%

More selective than 67% · #19 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 30% · #34 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention69%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,781

Higher than 23% · #33 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$19,910

Cheaper than 51% · #31 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,044

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

1,093students
  • Undergraduate1,04496%
  • Graduate494%

Undergraduates by gender

1,044undergrads
  • 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)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
First-generation
33%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)161
Football151
Soccer116
Baseball62
Lacrosse60
Basketball35
Swimming29
Other Sports29
Softball24
Volleyball21
Golf20
Weight Lifting20
Tennis16

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.

4.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.0
Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7

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
$17,021
$30–48k
$17,020
$48–75k
$20,628
$75–110k
$21,637
$110k+
$21,972

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
$90,118

$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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,536
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$43,931
Men
$47,247

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marshall, NC US station (6.6 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 Mars Hill University

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

Colleges near Mars Hill 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.