by our College Data Analytics TeamGardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution in Boiling Springs, North Carolina enrolling 1,856 undergraduates. It accepts 77% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 55%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,281 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 25%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Gardner-Webb University ranks #1,281 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 25%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Gardner-Webb University was awarded 9 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked GWU as #1,281 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
GWU is also ranked #24 on the Best Colleges in North Carolina list.
See all of the rankings for Gardner-Webb University.
The acceptance rate at Gardner-Webb University is 77%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that GWU is a good fit for you.
About 10% of students accepted to GWU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 495 and 608. Math scores were between 480 and 590.
GWU received ACT scores from 38% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 19 and 25.
Learn more about Gardner-Webb University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at GWU is an impressive 12 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Gardner-Webb University is 99%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Gardner-Webb University this rate is 55%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at GWU for first-time, full-time students is 55%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Gardner-Webb University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 1,856 undergraduates at GWU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Gardner-Webb University.
The typical net cost at GWU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15,304 | $14,594 | $13,769 | $15,946 | $22,438 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of GWU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At GWU, approximately 47% of students took out student loans averaging $6,947 a year. That adds up to $27,788 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.9%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Gardner-Webb University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Gardner-Webb University make about $48,039 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Gardner-Webb University make the most money.
Gardner-Webb University is an private not-for-profit institution located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. The rural area surrounding GWU is great for students who love a peaceful atmosphere. Get more details about the location of Gardner-Webb University.
Contact information for Gardner-Webb University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | Main St, Boiling Springs, NC 28017-0997 |
| Phone: | 7044062361 |
| Website: | www.gardner-webb.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardner%E2%80%93Webb_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/gardnerwebb |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/thegardnerwebb |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Gardner-Webb University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 952 | NA |
| Educational Administration | 152 | $54,020 |
| Nursing | 134 | $72,799 |
| Business Administration & Management | 126 | $50,368 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 57 | $35,826 |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 44 | $28,865 |
| Health & Physical Education | 41 | $27,205 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 39 | $57,424 |
| Public Administration | 37 | NA |
| Physiology & Pathology Sciences | 33 | NA |
1,234 students took at least one online class at Gardner-Webb University.
Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
Learn more about online learning at Gardner-Webb University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to GWU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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