Gardner-Webb University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Gardner-Webb University

Gardner-Webb University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina (rural: distant), with a total reported enrollment of 1,856 students of which 1,979 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Gardner-Webb University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 77.2%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,113 and an ACT midpoint of 21. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $17,674, with published in-state tuition of $34,760 and a Pell grant recipient share of 37.1%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $24,222, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 58.6%, and the first-year retention rate is 55.3%. Graduates earn a median of $48,039 ten years after enrolling, compared with $43,996 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 171400.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 65.0% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.