Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, North Carolina·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·gardner-webb.edu
6-yr Graduation
55%
-4.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
3,104
peer median 3,062
Avg net price
$17,674
-$4.6k vs Doctoral/Professional
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About

Gardner–Webb University (GWU) is a private Baptist university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as Boiling Springs High School in 1905. Gardner–Webb is classified as a Doctoral/Professional university.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
5,212
5,212 candidates competed
Admitted
4,024
77.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
450
11.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
55%-4.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
48%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
54%
Full-time retention
55%

Pell equity

11.8pp gap
Pell recipients
48%77 of 159
Non-Pell (all)
60%149 of 249
Subsidized loan, no Pell
66%59 of 90
No Federal Aid
57%90 of 159

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.8-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 82 Title IV programs, 24 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 58 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
82
Passing
24
29.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

82programs
  • Passing24 · 29.3%
  • No Data58 · 70.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
22
No data
58

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

24
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+2.9%
$56,338 vs $54,745
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+11.7%
$35,982 vs $32,203
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+32.9%
$60,926 vs $45,831
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+33.3%
$42,936 vs $32,203
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+40.1%
$45,110 vs $32,203
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+44.4%
$79,048 vs $54,745
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+46.2%
$47,089 vs $32,203
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+50.6%
$48,505 vs $32,203

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+2.9%
+$1,593

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

22
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
99%
$55,998 debt · $56,338 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
77%
$96,895 debt · $125,727 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
64%
$60,618 debt · $94,213 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Doctoral Degree · Education
62%
$48,927 debt · $78,398 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Doctoral Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
61%
$51,207 debt · $84,386 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
60%
$27,000 debt · $45,110 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
58%
$25,000 debt · $42,936 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
56%
$27,000 debt · $48,505 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1948Next review Dec 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 7

Action history · 17

  1. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (CLNUR) - Clinical Doctorate
  2. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology
  3. Jun 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,304
$30–48k$14,594
$48–75k$13,769
$75–110k$15,946
$110k+$22,438

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$17,674
-$4,561vs Doctoral/Professional median $22,235
Federal loans
47.2%
In-state tuition
$34,760
Out-of-state
$34,760

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 891 students received $5.1M in Pell grants, alongside $26.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
891
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.1M
$5,056,390 total
Direct Loans
$26.1M
2,822 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.3M
834 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.7M
897 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.5M
783 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.1M
131 loan awards
Grad PLUS$4.5M
177 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 1,252 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,252
Defaulted
23
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.1%
2017
7.8%
2018
3.7%
2019
1.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Gardner-Webb

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs64
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

879 total completions
01Education
26229.8%
02Health Professions
18621.2%
03Business
18521.0%
04Psychology
586.6%
05Biological Sciences
576.5%
06Parks/Recreation
414.7%
07Public Admin
374.2%
08Security/Protective
192.2%
09Communication
171.9%
10Philosophy/Religion
171.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
3,104
12-mo unduplicated
3,459
Undergraduate
2,037
Graduate
1,422

Gender split

Men
33%1,152
Women
67%2,307

Race / ethnicity composition

White
49.0%
Unknown
26.7%
Black
16.1%
Hispanic
4.0%
Two or more
2.5%
Asian
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Non-resident
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
505
314 M · 191 W
Women athletes
37.8%
Athletic aid
$9.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$17.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.9M
$3.6M
Recruiting expense
$133K
$58K
Head-coach salaries
$68K
$53K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Football
118 M · —
$4.5M
Soccer
69 M · 39 W
$1.6M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
28 M · 29 W
$1.1M
Track and Field (Indoor)
27 M · 29 W
$147K
Basketball
32 M · 13 W
$2.7M
Baseball
44 M · —
$1.0M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 3,125 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago1.591 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons11
    Drugs217
    Liquor0147

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    12.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    139

    Gardner-Webb vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Gardner-Webb selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectGardner-Webb University
    		55%—3,104$17,674Doctoral/Professional
    Alvernia University
    		56%58.1%2,796$28,138Doctoral/Professional
    Andrews University
    		72%81.9%2,940$12,547Doctoral/Professional
    Belhaven University
    		49%49.8%4,213$15,676Doctoral/Professional
    Bellarmine University
    		64%86.1%2,886$21,499Doctoral/Professional
    Bethel University
    		71%87.8%3,603$28,556Doctoral/Professional
    Brenau University
    		35%87.8%2,436$18,924Doctoral/Professional
    Carson-Newman University
    		53%90.4%2,669$20,251Doctoral/Professional
    D'Youville University
    		67%81.4%2,556$20,433Doctoral/Professional
    Daemen University
    		59%68.3%2,540$18,693Doctoral/Professional
    Dallas Baptist University
    		58%88.8%4,124$28,516Doctoral/Professional
    DeSales University
    		72%77.1%2,972$31,643Doctoral/Professional
    Hampton University
    		57%62.2%4,244$25,319Doctoral/Professional
    Husson University
    		59%81.0%3,367$21,005Doctoral/Professional
    Lesley University
    		58%96.9%2,557$31,152Doctoral/Professional
    Marymount University
    		54%93.2%4,060$29,137Doctoral/Professional
    Oklahoma City University
    		65%77.0%2,966$22,857Doctoral/Professional
    Palm Beach Atlantic University
    		55%82.0%4,147$28,354Doctoral/Professional
    Point Park University
    		59%96.9%3,448$25,942Doctoral/Professional
    Roosevelt University
    		46%97.2%4,281$20,194Doctoral/Professional
    Saint Ambrose University
    		61%77.3%2,498$24,691Doctoral/Professional
    Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
    		66%92.8%4,505$11,704Doctoral/Professional
    Seattle Pacific University
    		62%83.4%2,261$24,488Doctoral/Professional
    Springfield College
    		74%71.9%2,599$30,587Doctoral/Professional
    St Catherine University
    		61%91.8%3,651$19,764Doctoral/Professional
    The College of Saint Scholastica
    		71%93.0%2,930$27,846Doctoral/Professional
    Trevecca Nazarene University
    		53%69.4%3,195$16,813Doctoral/Professional
    Union University
    		66%60.4%2,713$27,171Doctoral/Professional
    University of Charleston
    		44%61.5%3,062$22,107Doctoral/Professional
    University of Lynchburg
    		57%43.0%2,316$22,235Doctoral/Professional
    University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
    		49%95.8%3,321$26,106Doctoral/Professional
    University of St Francis
    		67%65.3%3,074$13,006Doctoral/Professional
    University of St Thomas
    		69%89.9%4,301$19,359Doctoral/Professional
    Valparaiso University
    		70%89.4%2,579$18,578Doctoral/Professional
    Western New England University
    		64%83.5%3,674$27,290Doctoral/Professional
    Peer group median59%82.7%3,062$22,235

    Institutions like Gardner-Webb

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Gardner-Webb's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Gardner-Webb Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research
    Phone
    (704) 406-4000
    Address
    110 South Main Street, P.O. Box 997, Boiling Springs, NC 28017

    The Office of Institutional Research is committed to providing relevant and comprehensive information that helps facilitate an accurate understanding of the history and current status of Gardner-Webb University. It is primarily responsible for collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and publishing student, faculty, and other institutional data designed to enhance strategic planning and policy-making processes.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    1 member
    • Jeff Tubbs
      Planning & Institutional Effectiveness

    Reports & documents (4)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Grants & funding (1)

    Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

    USA Spending

    Frequently asked questions about Gardner-Webb University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Gardner-Webb.

    What is the graduation rate at Gardner-Webb University?

    Gardner-Webb University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 55% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Gardner-Webb University?

    Gardner-Webb University reports a total enrollment of 3,104 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Gardner-Webb University?

    The average net price at Gardner-Webb University is $17,674 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Gardner-Webb University?

    Gardner-Webb University's yield rate is 11.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Gardner-Webb University located?

    Gardner-Webb University is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina 28017-0997.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Gardner-Webb University?

    Gardner-Webb University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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