Southern Wesleyan University
Central, South Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 99.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 36/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southern Wesleyan University earns a Below Benchmark ROI score of 36. Tuition lists at $29,800, but heavy aid drops net price to $15,464 and four-year cost to $61,856. Average earnings six years out are $38,000, growing to a median $47,756 by year ten. Payback period of 15.8 years and debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.684 against $26,000 median debt produce difficult economics. A key signal is the repayment rate of just 55.9%, scoring 13 out of 100 - nearly half of borrowers are not actively paying down loans. Completion rate of 52.4% is mediocre. The program data reveals serious debt concerns: business graduates carry $40,323 median debt (well above the school-wide median of $26,000) and human services graduates carry $41,027 with a 1.271 debt-to-earnings ratio. Something in the financing structure is producing meaningfully higher individual-program debt than the institutional median. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, Southern Wesleyan represents the small Christian-college value problem: heavy aid creates a reasonable headline net price.
How Southern Wesleyan University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score36/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period15.8 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Southern Wesleyan University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,800/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,800/yr |
| Average net price | $15,464/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $61,856 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,756 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $38,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 52.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 747 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $29,800/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $15,464/year, or roughly $61,856 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $14,084/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $17,381/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($38,000) and comes to 0.68, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $14,084 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,218 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,230 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $14,899 |
| $110,001+ | $17,381 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $14,084 - meaningfully discounted. Four-year cost around $56,000. For Pell-eligible students the headline net price is reasonable, but the program-level data shows actual borrowing is often much higher ($40,000+ in business and human services), and the 56% repayment rate signals real downstream debt problems. Tread carefully.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($30,001-$48,000 and $48,001-$75,000) pay $14,218 and $14,230 respectively - essentially flat across these tiers and only modestly above the lowest bracket. Four-year cost around $57,000. The aid formula does not differentiate strongly across income brackets, which is unusual.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Higher-income families ($110,001+) pay $17,381 - only modestly higher than the lower brackets. The pricing is remarkably flat across income tiers.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Southern Wesleyan University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $62,278 | D |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $31,326 | F |
| Human Services, General | $47,528 | F |
| Religion/Religious Studies | $28,636 | D |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other | $25,785 | - |
| Teacher Education | $42,006 | C |
| Political Science and Government | $52,534 | C |
| Biology | $47,882 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is Southern Wesleyan's largest program with 57 graduates. First-year earnings of $52,070 climb to $62,278 by year four - solid placement. But median debt is a striking $40,323 (vs the school-wide $26,000), producing a 0.774 ratio and D ROI grade. The high debt is the puzzle: this program appears to enroll students taking on substantially more debt than the institutional norm suggests. Possibly reflects adult-learner program costs or supplementary borrowing. Prospective students should ask financial aid for program-specific debt projections.
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
Human Development graduates 24 students with first-year earnings of $31,326 against $39,792 median debt - a 1.27 ratio and F ROI grade. Even more so than the Business program, this lineup shows program-level debt vastly exceeding the school-wide median. The math is fundamentally broken for students entering low-paying social services and family-counseling careers.
Human Services, General
Human Services graduates 18 students with first-year earnings of $32,290 against $41,027 debt - a 1.271 ratio and F ROI grade. Earnings recover to $47,528 by year four, still inadequate against the borrowing. This program mirrors the Human Development pattern: high debt for a low-paying field.
Religion/Religious Studies
Religion graduates 15 students annually with first-year earnings of $28,636 against $22,012 debt - a 0.769 ratio and D ROI grade. Earnings data for year four is not reported. Standard ministry-track economics: low immediate earnings driven by entry-level church staff and ministry positions. Students choose this program for vocation, not financial return.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 13 students with first-year earnings of $42,006 - reasonable South Carolina starting teacher salary. Median debt of $27,000 produces a 0.643 ratio and C ROI grade. Standard education-degree trajectory: stable but flat earnings against meaningful debt. One of the more defensible program choices at Southern Wesleyan.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 47.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 55.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 53.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 56.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southern Wesleyan University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 99.5% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 510-590 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 530-620 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 22-28 |
| Enrollment | 747 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 43.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,744 |
Southern Wesleyan admits 99.5% of applicants - effectively universal admission. The 52% completion rate reflects the open-admission challenge: students enroll without academic screening, and the small institution's support infrastructure cannot bring most through to graduation.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Wesleyan University (this school) | 36 | $15,464 | $47,756 |
| Cornerstone University | 37 | $20,301 | $47,314 |
| Oklahoma Baptist University | 37 | $20,958 | $48,434 |
| Milligan University | 37 | $21,365 | $46,641 |
| Evangel University | 35 | $18,669 | $46,573 |
| Corban University | 35 | $28,035 | $48,917 |
Who Thrives Here
Southern Wesleyan fits students drawn to Wesleyan Christian tradition and community, particularly first-generation students from rural and small-town South Carolina. Enrollment of 747 is small. Pell rate of 43.1% is high, indicating a working-class student body. By program: business (the largest program with 57 graduates) earns a D grade with higher program-level debt; human services produces F grades with debt exceeding annual earnings. Students drawn here for religious community should plan for non-financial returns on the investment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southern Wesleyan University scores 36/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $15,464 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,756 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.8 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 52.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 55.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $38,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Southern Wesleyan University: Common Questions
Is Southern Wesleyan University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southern Wesleyan University scores 36/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $15,464 a year after aid against $47,756 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southern Wesleyan University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $15,464 a year, or roughly $61,856 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Southern Wesleyan University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,756 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,956 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Southern Wesleyan University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 15.8 years for Southern Wesleyan University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southern Wesleyan University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $38,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Wesleyan University?
The six-year graduation rate is 52.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.