Private nonprofit · University

Southern Wesleyan University

Central, South Carolina · Midsize suburb

99.5%
Admit rate
$15,464
Avg net price
52%
Graduation rate
$47,756
Median earnings

Southern Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Central, South Carolina (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 747 undergraduates. It has a Wesleyan religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 747 undergradsMidsize suburbOpen admissionNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southern Wesleyan University's admitted students.

Admit rate
99.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1040–1210
Avg GPA (est.)
3.24

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southern Wesleyan University's admitted students.

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

About Central, South Carolina

Central is a town in Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. Central was founded by the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway in a railroad boom that began in 1873. The town's name represents the fact that it is midway between Atlanta and Charlotte. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
187 miles
Nearest airport
33 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)

How Southern Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity99.5%

More selective than 5% · #29 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1140

Higher than 43%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 45% · #13 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention69%

Higher than 28%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,756

Higher than 32% · #13 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$15,464

Cheaper than 71% · #11 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment747

Larger than 29%

Percentiles compare Southern Wesleyan University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

943students
  • Undergraduate74779%
  • Graduate19621%

Undergraduates by gender

747undergrads
  • Women47263%
  • Men27537%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic8.6%
  • Other or multiracial7.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
747
Graduate enrollment
196
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
43%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$37,260
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,696
Endowment
$9,931,892

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 159 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina59%
  • Other U.S. states41%

A regional draw: about 59% of first-years come from South 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
99.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1040–1210
SAT average
1140
SAT reading
530–620
SAT math
510–590
ACT composite
22–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.24

Cost

In-state tuition
$29,800
Room & board
$10,126
Books & supplies
$1,060
Total cost of attendance
$39,914
Average net price
$15,464

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)
52%
Graduated on time (4 years)
50%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,489
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,756
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
78%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
47%

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
570
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
76%
Housing charge (year)
$4,500
Meal plan (year)
$5,426
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
368 (206 men · 162 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 (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)118
Baseball72
Soccer60
Basketball45
Softball33
Lacrosse21
Volleyball19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (980 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.0

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
$14,084
$30–48k
$14,218
$48–75k
$14,230
$75–110k
$14,899
$110k+
$17,381

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
$57,776

$14,230/year × about 4.1 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$11,604
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Southern Wesleyan University itself, averaging $11,604, 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 144 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)
$47,756
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
54%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 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
$42,950
Men
$54,663

Men out-earn women by $11,713 (27%) 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
32°F
Annual rain
52.4″
Annual snow
2.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Clemson Univ, SC US station (5.8 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 Southern Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Southern Wesleyan 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.