Gardner-Webb vs Southern Wesleyan University (SWU)

Gardner-Webb University and Southern Wesleyan University, both located in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Gardner-Webb, a private university with a higher acceptance rate, boasts a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like nursing, business, and psychology. Southern Wesleyan, a private Christian university with a smaller student body, emphasizes faith-based learning and offers popular majors such as business, education, and psychology. While Gardner-Webb has a higher graduation rate, Southern Wesleyan provides a more affordable option with lower tuition and fees. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Gardner-Webb University	Southern Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Boiling Springs, North Carolina	Central, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	59.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.9%	56.6%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	960 - 1215	980 - 1168
ACT range	18 - 24	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	45.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	36.0%
Total number of applicants	5,657	749
Total number of admissions given out	4,466	424
Admitted students who chose to enroll	447	163
Yield rate	10.0%	38.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,350	$35,643
Average net price	$20,296	$19,479
Tuition	$31,220	$25,748
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,410 Meal plan: $5,130	Room/dormitory: $4,234 Meal plan: $5,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,687	100.0% Average amount $18,506
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,370	68.0% Average amount $5,469
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,070	12.0% Average amount $8,327

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,983 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%	1,043 Men 33.9% Women 66.1%
Graduate students	1,458 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%	257 Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,368	570
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Business Education Liberal Arts Family and Consumer Sciences Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.6%	52.1%
Dropout rate	52.4%	47.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,737 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $107,259 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,422 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $90,530 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,811 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $87,569 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,530 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $66,987 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,377 Year 2: $59,640 Year 3: $62,202 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,451 Year 2: $54,748 Year 3: $59,129 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,254 Year 3: $57,989 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,446 Year 2: $50,036 Year 3: $54,260 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,717 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,504 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,814 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,850	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,550 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $55,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,273 Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $48,165 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,512 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $47,813 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,583 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,880 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,637 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $43,594 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,018 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,205 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,309 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,561 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,138 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,120 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A

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