Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs, North Carolina · Also known as GWU · Website
$48,039
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$48,039
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Gardner-Webb University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Boiling Springs, North Carolina with 1,856 undergraduates and 1,243 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $17,674 a year (tuition and fees $34,760). It admits 77% of applicants and 55% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $48,039 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,222 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,674
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$34,760
US median $11,837
Admission rate
77%
US median 78%
Completion rate
55%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,222
About $257 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$48,039
Rank 1,654 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $17,674
- Tuition and fees
- $34,760
- Cost of attendance
- $47,091
- Students with a need-based grant
- 37%
- Students with federal loans
- 47%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,304
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,594
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $13,769
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $15,946
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,438
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $28,280 in 2015-16 to $34,760 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 77%
- Average SAT
- 1,113
- SAT reading, middle
- 545
- SAT math, middle
- 543
- ACT, middle
- 21
- Undergraduates
- 1,856
- Graduate students
- 1,243
- Part-time students
- 12%
- Women
- 62%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 55%
- Retention rate
- 55%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 81
- Endowment
- $79.2M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,654 of 5,094 US colleges and 26 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,674 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $34,760 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 77% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 55% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 55% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,222 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $43,996 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $48,039 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 51% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
81 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 173 | $27,882 | $59,751 | $70,841 | $71,685 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 95 | $27,409 | $60,802 | $86,886 | $103,485 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $18,875 | $71,337 | $75,117 | $88,910 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $25,886 | $34,491 | $42,936 | $50,523 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingDoctoral | Doctoral | 37 | $32,492 | $111,589 | $109,715 | $138,131 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $26,980 | $42,840 | $61,489 | $68,257 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $27,000 | $39,850 | $45,110 | $47,382 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 32 | $118,500 | $110,028 | $125,727 | $127,347 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsDoctoral | Doctoral | 27 | $51,147 | $76,129 | $84,386 | $113,566 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 26 | $62,630 | $81,929 | $94,213 | $100,573 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $21,375 | Withheld | $49,587 | $50,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 26 | $41,319 | $94,355 | $104,141 | $120,193 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $24,580 | $35,433 | $51,709 | $55,378 |
| Curriculum and InstructionOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 21 | $63,824 | $72,305 | $78,398 | $83,031 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $20,500 | Withheld | Withheld | $62,172 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $24,511 | $44,261 | $58,918 | $76,194 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $27,000 | Withheld | $48,505 | $57,214 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignOnlineMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | $52,313 | Withheld | $70,644 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,033 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | $58,061 | $54,562 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's | Master's | 15 | $29,937 | $67,370 | $79,048 | $95,833 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,512 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | $35,982 | $56,359 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | $19,500 | $67,979 | $67,538 | $80,813 |
| Curriculum and InstructionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 12 | $27,860 | $55,011 | $60,926 | $63,399 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Boiling Springs and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Gardner-Webb University cost?
$17,674 a year is the average net price at Gardner-Webb University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $34,760, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $47,091. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,304 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Gardner-Webb University?
77% of applicants are admitted to Gardner-Webb University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,113 and the middle ACT score is 21. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Gardner-Webb University graduates earn?
$48,039 a year is the median pay of former Gardner-Webb University students who work, 10 years after they started ($43,996 after 6 years). That ranks 1,654 of 5,094 US colleges and 26 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral) at $111,589.
How much student debt do Gardner-Webb University graduates have?
$24,222 is the median federal student loan debt of Gardner-Webb University graduates, about $257 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 47% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Gardner-Webb University?
55% of first-time, full-time students at Gardner-Webb University finish within 6 years. 55% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Gardner-Webb University?
Educational Administration and Supervision (173 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (95 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (74 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 81 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.