10-yr median earnings
$42,680
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Charlotte, North Carolina
Johnson C Smith University
Johnson C Smith University is a private nonprofit institution in Charlotte, North Carolina. Graduates earn a median of $42,680 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $20,894/yr.
- $42,680
- 10-yr median earnings
- $20,894
- Avg net price / yr
- 45.2%
- Acceptance rate
- 34.2%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
Johnson C Smith University pairs above-median graduate earnings with a selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 34%
- graduate earnings, US
- 45.2%
- acceptance rate
- 34.2%
- 4-yr completion
- +36%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Johnson C Smith University is a private nonprofit institution in Charlotte, North Carolina enrolling 1,244 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 45.2%. Graduates earn a median of $42,680 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $20,894. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Johnson C Smith University
Johnson C Smith University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina (city: large), with a total reported enrollment of 1,244 students of which 1,444 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; Johnson C Smith University is categorized as "Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
F
College Value Score
32/100
Johnson C Smith University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C-
$42,680
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price F
$20,894
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$30,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment F
31.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
71.3%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$20,894
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
34.2%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 34.2%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - Johnson C Smith University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How Johnson C Smith University ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Johnson C Smith University: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$42,680 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
1,244
Total enrollment
45.2%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
34.2%
4-yr graduation rate
$42,680
10-yr median earnings
71.3%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 45.2% |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $21,300 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $21,300 |
| Average Net Price | $20,894 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $19,940 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $21,165 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $21,005 |
| Over $110,000 | $29,050 |
69.5%
Pell Grant Rate
74.6%
Federal Loan Rate
$30,000
Median Debt
$318/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
58.6%
Female
36.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
34.2%
4-Year Completion Rate
71.3%
Retention Rate
$31,478
Median Earnings (6yr)
$42,680
Median Earnings (10yr)
41.8%
Earning Over $25K
31.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Johnson C Smith University by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Social Work
Social Work
$61,497 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$51,371 median earnings
- Criminology
Criminology
$46,215 median earnings
- Sports, Kinesiology, and P…
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
$44,678 median earnings
- Biology, General
Biology, General
$42,595 median earnings
- Communication and Media St…
Communication and Media Studies
$40,600 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$39,741 median earnings
- Liberal Arts and Sciences,…
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$38,941 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Work | Master's | 25 | $61,497 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 59 | $51,371 | $31,742 |
| Criminology | Bachelor's | 16 | $46,215 | $30,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 16 | $44,678 | $28,750 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 27 | $42,595 | $26,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 20 | $40,600 | $31,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's | 16 | $39,741 | $29,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's | 18 | $38,941 | $30,500 |
| Social Work | Bachelor's | 12 | $26,933 | $32,889 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 7 | $24,421 | $31,000 |
Nearby Schools
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
1,184 students
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC
15,067 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
97 students
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
1,211 students
Empire Beauty School-Charlotte
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Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other private nonprofit institutions in North Carolina
Elon University
Elon, NC
6,452 students Earn $74,545 66.3% admit
Duke University
Durham, NC
6,442 students Earn $97,800 5.7% admit
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
5,485 students Earn $78,158 21.7% admit
High Point University
High Point, NC
5,129 students Earn $61,389 75.3% admit
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC
2,680 students Earn $54,886 87.2% admit
Wingate University
Wingate, NC
2,668 students Earn $52,649 91.1% admit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Johnson C Smith University? ▼
Johnson C Smith University is a private nonprofit institution in Charlotte, North Carolina. The acceptance rate is 45.2%. Total enrollment is 1,244 students.
How much do Johnson C Smith University graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of Johnson C Smith University earn a median of $42,680 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $31,478.
How much does Johnson C Smith University cost? ▼
The average net price at Johnson C Smith University is $20,894. In-state tuition is $21,300 and out-of-state tuition is $21,300. Median student debt at graduation is $30,000.
What is the graduation rate at Johnson C Smith University? ▼
Johnson C Smith University has a 4-year completion rate of 34.2%. The first-year retention rate is 71.3%.
Is Johnson C Smith University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Johnson C Smith University is $30,000, while graduates earn a median of $42,680 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 70% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 31.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $318.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for Johnson C Smith University
- Johnson C Smith University's graduates land in the 34th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $20,894 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in North Carolina.Browse North Carolina
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.