Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Furman University

Students comparing Furman University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Greenville, South Carolina2,379 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 28Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Furman University: U.S. News ranks it #45 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #211 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #224 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #271 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #138 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,379 undergraduates, admits 43.0% of applicants, and posts a 78.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $59,770; aid recipients pay $30,308 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,635.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
43.0%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$30,308

60% below the $76,274 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$68,635

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
78.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,250

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1260–1430

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Furman University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Liberal Arts Colleges#45of 210Liberal arts colleges
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#211of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#224of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#271of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#138of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Furman University's position moves 49 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Furman University

Furman University is a private nonprofit institution in Greenville, South Carolina. Federal data show 90.6% first-year retention and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $30,308 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $76,274 sticker cost against $30,308 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Furman University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$59,770

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
13.2%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$16,504

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $76,274 a year, but the average family pays $30,308 — a 60% difference. 13.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Furman University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    9:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    90.6%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,379

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Furman University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $59,770 and on-campus room and board is $16,504, for a published total of $76,274 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $30,308.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 43.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Centre College

    Danville, KYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Centre College: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #234 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #283 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #193 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #281 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #16 Students Study the Most. It enrolls 1,400 undergraduates, admits 54.4% of applicants, and posts a 80.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $52,820; aid recipients pay $20,781 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,240.

    Acceptance rate
    54.4%
    Average net price
    $20,781
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,240
    6-yr graduation rate
    80.7%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#59 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#234 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#283 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,400 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 29 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of the South

    Sewanee, TNPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of the South: U.S. News ranks it #45 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #180 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #208 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #238 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #186 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #1 Outdoors: Students Get Outside. It enrolls 1,607 undergraduates, admits 56.9% of applicants, and posts a 79.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $56,120; aid recipients pay $27,872 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,911.

    Acceptance rate
    56.9%
    Average net price
    $27,872
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,911
    6-yr graduation rate
    79.8%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#45 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#180 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#208 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,607 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Rhodes College

    Memphis, TNPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Rhodes College: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #178 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #205 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #202 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #179 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 Most Beautiful Campus. It enrolls 1,836 undergraduates, admits 50.3% of applicants, and posts a 84.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $57,110; aid recipients pay $28,585 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,651.

    Acceptance rate
    50.3%
    Average net price
    $28,585
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,651
    6-yr graduation rate
    84.5%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#59 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#178 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#205 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,836 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Furman University against these