by our College Data Analytics TeamSouthern Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution in Central, South Carolina enrolling 747 undergraduates. It accepts 100% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 52%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,955 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 38%), 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.
Southern Wesleyan University ranks #1,955 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 38%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Southern Wesleyan University was awarded 7 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, SWU is ranked #1,955 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
SWU is also ranked #27 on the Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
See all of the rankings for Southern Wesleyan University.
Southern Wesleyan University has an acceptance rate of 100%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for SWU.
About 11% of students accepted to SWU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 530 and 620. Math scores were between 510 and 590.
SWU received ACT scores from 9% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 22 and 28.
Learn more about Southern Wesleyan University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at SWU is an impressive 10 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 Southern Wesleyan University is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Southern Wesleyan University is 69%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At SWU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 52%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Southern Wesleyan University.
The current enrollment includes 747 undergraduates at SWU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Southern Wesleyan University.
The average net price of SWU 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 + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14,084 | $14,218 | $14,230 | $14,899 | $17,381 |
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 SWU, 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 SWU, approximately 78% of students took out student loans averaging $7,538 a year. That adds up to $30,152 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 7.2%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Southern Wesleyan University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Southern Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $47,756 in their early years. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Southern Wesleyan University make the most money.
Southern Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Central, South Carolina. Central is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center. Get more details about the location of Southern Wesleyan University.
Contact information for Southern Wesleyan University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 907 Wesleyan Drive, Central, SC 29630-1020 |
| Phone: | 8646445000 |
| Website: | www.swu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Wesleyan_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/southernwesleyanuniversity.central |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/swu_edu |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Southern Wesleyan 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 | 244 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 53 | $45,130 |
| Educational Assessment | 20 | NA |
| General Psychology | 16 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 15 | $33,561 |
| Child Development & Family Studies | 15 | NA |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 15 | NA |
| Religious Studies | 12 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 11 | NA |
| Human Services | 9 | $27,018 |
494 students took at least one online class at Southern Wesleyan 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 Southern Wesleyan University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to SWU? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
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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