Private nonprofit · Community college

Spartanburg Methodist College

Spartanburg, South Carolina · Midsize suburb

#3 for grad earnings in South Carolina
33%
Transfer rate
$14,580
Avg net price
43%
Grad / completion
$42,895
Median earnings

Spartanburg Methodist College is a private nonprofit associate-granting institution in Spartanburg, South Carolina (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,116 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,116 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 78% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

About Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spartanburg, also known as "Sparkle City", is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. Spartanburg was formed in 1785 after a deal was made with the Cherokee in 1753, and was named after a local militia in the American Revolutionary War, the Spartan Regiment. The regiment, commanded by Andrew Pickens, participated in the Battle of Cowpens. Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg's cultural anchor for history, art, theatre, dance, music, and science, is in a three-building complex on the northern edge of downtown. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
179 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)

How Spartanburg Methodist College compares

Selectivity78.2%

More selective than 57% · #4 most selective of 7 in South Carolina

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 29% · #23 of 45 in South Carolina

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,895

Higher than 79% · #3 of 40 in South Carolina

Average net price$14,580

Cheaper than 52% · #26 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment1,116

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare Spartanburg Methodist College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,116undergrads
  • Women54349%
  • Men57351%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black31%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial5.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,116
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
61%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$36,782
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,785
Endowment
$27,030,763

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 445 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina93%
  • Other U.S. states5.8%
  • International1.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Spartanburg Methodist College draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$20,650
Room & board
$11,160
Books & supplies
$350
Total cost of attendance
$32,183
Average net price
$14,580

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Admissions

Admission rate
78.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Outcomes

Graduated
43%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,427
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,895
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
46%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
43%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
First-generation
30%

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
601
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
245 (137 men · 108 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)

Soccer70
Baseball44
Basketball38
Cross Country28
Volleyball26
Softball21
Golf18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
11.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
18
Property offenses (2022–2024)
21

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,119 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.

13reported offenses a year
6.0 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.0
Burglary
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.3
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
$13,794
$30–48k
$13,416
$48–75k
$15,673
$75–110k
$15,204
$110k+
$18,025

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.

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.

89%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,626
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 89% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,626. 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 484 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)
$42,895
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
40%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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
$37,500
Men
$47,492

Men out-earn women by $9,992 (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
90°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
50.2″
Annual snow
0.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Spartanburg 3 Sse, SC US station (4.6 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 Spartanburg Methodist College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Spartanburg Methodist College side by side →

Colleges near Spartanburg Methodist College

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.