More selective than 29% of North 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 $55,689. College Scorecard.
Higher than 36% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 34% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 54% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 33% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Guilford College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,775 applicants, Guilford College admitted 3,162 and 366 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1120–1260 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Guilford College 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 Guilford College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Guilford College took 4.3 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 North Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $18,367 | $78,978 | 5.6 years |
| $30–48k | $22,825 | $98,148 | 7.0 years |
| $48–75k | $34,680 | $149,124 | 10.6 years |
| $75–110k | $49,275 | $211,883 | 15.1 years |
| $110k+ | $49,368 | $212,282 | 15.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (37% 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 ($47,590) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $14,074 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.
Guilford College majors, earnings & careers
Guilford College offers 40 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at Guilford College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $67,698 | $27,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $65,823 | — |
| Business Administration | $60,858 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $54,209 | $27,290 |
| Psychology | $49,921 | $29,460 |
| English | $49,064 | — |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $46,651 | $27,000 |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | $46,011 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 40 majors
- Accounting$67,698
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other—
- Biology—
- Business Administration$60,858
- Chemistry—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences$65,823
- Criminal Justice$54,209
- Data Analytics—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English$49,064
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Information Technology—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$46,651
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health$46,011
- Psychology$49,921
- Public Health—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre—
- 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 →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Greensboro
Overall prices in the Greensboro-High Point, NC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,271. Housing costs 25% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 7 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Guilford County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Guilford County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Guilford College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in North 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford College | 80% | $22,270 | 46% | $47,590 | This school |
| Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte | 80% | $27,426 | 49% | $43,418 | |
| North Carolina Wesleyan University | 80% | $17,432 | 42% | $45,873 | |
| Lees-McRae College | 77% | $28,340 | 42% | $43,415 | |
| Catawba College | 75% | $17,879 | 47% | $48,793 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Guilford College would cost you $5,156 less per year than Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Guilford College, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$2,544).
- Guilford College gives aided families $2,823 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Guilford College | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $41,362 | $42,419 | −$1,057 |
| Books & supplies | $1,270 | $1,200 | +$70 |
| Housing & meals | $13,100 | $15,644 | −$2,544 |
| Personal & travel | $1,500 | $1,758 | −$258 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,543 | −$2,999 | +$1,456 |
| Sticker price | $55,689 | $58,022 | −$2,333 |
| Average grants | −$33,419 | −$30,596 | −$2,823 |
| You pay | $22,270 | $27,426 | −$5,156 |
“+” means Guilford College 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 Guilford College
What is the Guilford College acceptance rate?
Guilford College accepts 80% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,162 of 3,775 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1120–1260 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
How much does Guilford College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $55,689 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,270 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $18,367 and families earning $110k+ pay $49,368.
How much do Guilford College graduates earn?
Former Guilford College students earn a median $47,590 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Guilford College graduation rate?
46% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 65% return for their second year.
How long does a Guilford College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Guilford College costs about $149,124 after grants ($34,680 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $47,590 ten years after starting, $14,074 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 10.6 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: “Guilford College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/guilford-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).