More selective than 83% of South Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $50,192. College Scorecard.
Higher than 82% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 35% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 17% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
AU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 4,732 applicants, Anderson University admitted 2,499 and 849 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1280 on the SAT or 22–29 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
AU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What AU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Anderson University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in South Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,188 | $70,471 | 8.2 years |
| $30–48k | $18,724 | $76,768 | 8.9 years |
| $48–75k | $19,647 | $80,553 | 9.4 years |
| $75–110k | $24,926 | $102,197 | 11.9 years |
| $110k+ | $27,080 | $111,028 | 12.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (62% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($42,101) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $8,585 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
AU majors, earnings & careers
Anderson University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Business & Finance · 9
- Arts & Design · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Engineering · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
Highest-earning majors at AU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $79,844 | $23,750 |
| Nursing | $76,147 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $63,035 | $29,375 |
| Human Resources | $62,076 | $26,000 |
| Business | $61,833 | — |
| Marketing | $53,985 | $25,250 |
| Public Health | $52,568 | — |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $50,409 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- Accounting$79,844
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Bible Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$44,648
- Business$61,833
- Business Administration$63,035
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Programming—
- Criminal Justice$49,825
- Dance—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$43,612
- Education (Subject Teaching)$46,273
- Engineering—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- Gerontology—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$44,221
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Resources$62,076
- Human Services$42,718
- Information Technology—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Interior Architecture—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$50,409
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$53,985
- Mathematics—
- Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$76,147
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Physiology—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Health$52,568
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Music and Worship—
- Religious Studies—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art—
- Systems Engineering—
- Theatre$36,872
- Theology / Ministry—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Greenville
Overall prices in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,102. Housing costs 23% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Anderson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Anderson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare AU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in South Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson University | 55% | $23,544 | 66% | $42,101 | This school |
| Bob Jones University | — | $16,641 | 65% | $44,354 | |
| Wofford College | 52% | $18,732 | 84% | $68,964 | |
| Furman University | 43% | $30,308 | 79% | $68,635 | |
| North Greenville University | 67% | $21,063 | 55% | $43,035 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Anderson University would cost you $6,903 more per year than Bob Jones University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Anderson University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$10,500).
- Anderson University gives aided families $6,709 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, South Carolina resident | AU | Bob Jones University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $34,970 | $24,470 | +$10,500 |
| Books & supplies | $600 | $1,300 | −$700 |
| Housing & meals | $12,290 | $9,900 | +$2,390 |
| Personal & travel | $4,560 | $3,650 | +$910 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,228 | −$2,740 | +$512 |
| Sticker price | $50,192 | $36,580 | +$13,612 |
| Average grants | −$26,648 | −$19,939 | −$6,709 |
| You pay | $23,544 | $16,641 | +$6,903 |
“+” means AU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about AU
What is the AU acceptance rate?
Anderson University accepts 55% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,499 of 4,732 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1280 on the SAT or 22–29 on the ACT.
How much does Anderson University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $50,192 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,544 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,188 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,080.
How much do AU graduates earn?
Former Anderson University students earn a median $42,101 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the AU graduation rate?
66% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
How long does a AU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Anderson University costs about $80,553 after grants ($19,647 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,101 ten years after starting, $8,585 more than high school graduates in South Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 9.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Anderson University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/anderson-university-sc (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).