Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Southern Wesleyan University

Central, South Carolina·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·swu.edu
6-yr Graduation
52%
-1.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Total enrollment
980
peer median 1,756
Avg net price
$19,968
+$128 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
427
427 candidates competed
Admitted
425
99.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
142
33.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
52%-1.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
57%
Full-time retention
69%

Pell equity

21.0pp gap
Pell recipients
44%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 21.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 44 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 35 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
44
Passing
9
20.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

44programs
  • Passing9 · 20.5%
  • No Data35 · 79.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
9
No data
35

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.

9
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+26.9%
$65,410 vs $51,545
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+32.0%
$55,963 vs $42,400
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+35.9%
$44,824 vs $32,989
Human Services General
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+44.1%
$47,528 vs $32,989
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+45.1%
$47,882 vs $32,989
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+57.7%
$66,845 vs $42,400
Criminology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+59.2%
$52,534 vs $32,989
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+62.6%
$83,798 vs $51,545

Debt vs earnings

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

8
Human Services General
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
64%
$30,493 debt · $47,528 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
56%
$27,000 debt · $47,882 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
51%
$22,653 debt · $44,824 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
48%
$30,147 debt · $62,278 earn
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
42%
$27,333 debt · $65,410 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
39%
$26,262 debt · $66,845 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$29,680 debt · $83,798 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
30%
$16,935 debt · $55,963 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1973Next review Dec 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 10

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Apr 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Sep 2022Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  5. Dec 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,936
$30–48k$17,234
$48–75k$20,474
$75–110k$19,436
$110k+$24,758

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

Avg net price (private)
$19,968
+$128vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs median $19,840
Federal loans
45.8%
In-state tuition
$27,870
Out-of-state
$27,870

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 412 students received $2.2M in Pell grants, alongside $5.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
412
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.2M
$2,170,982 total
Direct Loans
$5.6M
989 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.3M
355 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.7M
437 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.5M
119 loan awards
Parent PLUS$992K
73 loan awards
Grad PLUS$81K
5 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.

Of 538 borrowers who entered repayment, 13 (2.4%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.4%
+0.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
538
Defaulted
13
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.7%
2017
10.0%
2018
7.1%
2019
2.4%
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 Southern Wesleyan

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

230 total completions
01Business
7532.6%
02Education
4419.1%
03Health Professions
3113.5%
04Family/Consumer Sci
156.5%
05Public Admin
156.5%
06Parks/Recreation
125.2%
07Psychology
104.3%
08Social Sciences
104.3%
09Philosophy/Religion
93.9%
10Biological Sciences
93.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
980
12-mo unduplicated
1,330
Undergraduate
995
Graduate
335

Gender split

Men
31%413
Women
69%917

Race / ethnicity composition

White
69.3%
Black
16.6%
Hispanic
8.2%
Two or more
3.2%
Unknown
1.7%
Asian
0.7%
Non-resident
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
255
128 M · 127 W
Women athletes
49.8%
Athletic aid
$1.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$3.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$844K
$1.1M
Recruiting expense
$3K
$5K
Head-coach salaries
$34K
$35K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
69 M · 74 W
$692K
Baseball
56 M ·
$543K
Soccer
25 M · 19 W
$465K
Basketball
25 M · 13 W
$633K
Softball
· 24 W
$334K
Lacrosse
· 23 W
$291K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,175 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago2.311 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
3
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
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
    Weapons00
    Drugs40
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    10.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    46

    Southern Wesleyan vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Southern Wesleyan selected for federal comparison reporting.

    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
    SubjectSouthern Wesleyan University
    52%980$19,968Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    Coker University
    40%94.0%1,325$18,045Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    Converse University
    62%67.7%1,787$19,712Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    Columbia College
    37%93.9%1,725$23,650Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    North Greenville University
    55%66.7%2,304$20,612Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    Bob Jones University
    63%86.2%2,734$17,529Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
    Peer group median54%86.2%1,756$19,840

    Frequently asked questions about Southern Wesleyan University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southern Wesleyan.

    What is the graduation rate at Southern Wesleyan University?

    Southern Wesleyan University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 52% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Southern Wesleyan University?

    Southern Wesleyan University reports a total enrollment of 980 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Southern Wesleyan University?

    The average net price at Southern Wesleyan University is $19,968 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Southern Wesleyan University?

    Southern Wesleyan University's yield rate is 33.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Southern Wesleyan University located?

    Southern Wesleyan University is located in Central, South Carolina 29630-1020.

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