Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC · Private · Rural (distant) · GWU
Private institution in Boiling Springs, NC · 1,836 undergraduates · 87% acceptance rate · $48,039 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $24,1371,438th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $33,4501,442nd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $33,4501,381st cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $48,8131,458th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $24,2221,158th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $48,0391,192nd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,996947th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 61.7%706th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 69.5%1,266th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 87.0%1,141st most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1146542nd highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 21703rd highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,836990th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 11.0:1619th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 26.8%1,382nd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 41 mi (CLT)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 40 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $59,714 | $59,640 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $42,961 | $47,260 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $38,694 | $34,908 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $37,030 | $44,971 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $36,149 | $34,847 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $32,315 | $32,245 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | $32,029 | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | $31,523 | $28,779 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesBiological Sciences | bachelors | $29,685 | $20,140 |
| SociologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $27,584 | $24,730 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $27,397 | $29,685 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $25,967 | $23,649 |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Southern Baptistsource
- Founded in 1905source
- Athletic nickname: "Runnin' Bulldogs"source
- Ernest W. Spangler Stadium seats about 8,500source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Scarlet and Blacksource
- Mascot: Mac and Lulu (costumed bulldogs) and Bo is the Live mascotsource
- Motto: "Pro Deo et Humanitate"source
- Athletic conference: Big South Conferencesource
Athletics — 14 sports + curated flag football
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $9,514,459 (M $5,865,091 · W $3,649,368)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Flag Football (women’s, curated)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Women’s flag football is curated (not yet a stable EADA sport filter).
Key links
- Official websitegardner-webb.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 198561)
- Compare colleges in NCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in North CarolinaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Gardner-Webb University vs Elizabeth City State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 14 EADA programs at this school
- Women’s flag football rosterCurated national programs (not yet in EADA filters)
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.