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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 23 miles to Greenville, SC
- To the ocean
- 187 miles
- Nearest airport
- 33 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)
How Southern Wesleyan University compares
More selective than 5% · #29 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 43%
Higher than 45% · #13 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 28%
Higher than 32% · #13 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 71% · #11 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 24%
Lower than 76%
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
- Undergraduate74779%
- Graduate19621%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Clemson Univ, SC US station (5.8 mi from campus).
What Southern Wesleyan 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 Southern Wesleyan University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Wesleyan University side by side →
Shorter University
Rome, Georgia · Small city · 55 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 1,028
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1115
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $45k
Randolph College
Lynchburg, Virginia · Small city · 44 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 658
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1134
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $53k
Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois · Distant town · 57 mi to Peoria
- Students
- 702
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1128
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $51k
Georgetown College
Georgetown, Kentucky · Fringe town · 12 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 1,097
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $52k
Piedmont University
Demorest, Georgia · Distant town · 68 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,117
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1129
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $49k
William Peace University
Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city · 1 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 666
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1170
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near Southern Wesleyan University
Clemson University
Clemson, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 23,300 students
Tri-County Technical College
Pendleton, SC · Public · Certificate · 5,071 students
Anderson University
Anderson, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,183 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Greenville
Greenville, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 157 students
Arclabs
Piedmont, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 744 students
Strayer University-South Carolina
Greenville, SC · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 1,868 students
Furman University
Greenville, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,379 students
Greenville Technical College
Greenville, SC · Public · Certificate · 8,916 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.














