Wofford College

Wofford College placed 68th among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, maintaining a relatively steady position near the top seventy over recent years. Admission is moderately competitive compared to similar institutions. In 2025, the college recorded an acceptance rate of 51.9%, which was higher than 24% of peer schools in a comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. This demonstrates that gaining admission is somewhat more difficult than at most of its close competitors. Once admitted, however, only a modest portion of candidates decides to matriculate. The college achieved a yield rate of 18.4% in 2025, which, while higher than the peer median, shows that fewer than one in five admitted applicants ultimately enroll. For prospective applicants, these figures mean that Wofford evaluates candidates carefully, yet competes heavily with other liberal arts colleges to attract admitted students.

Wofford College operates under a test-optional admissions policy where standardized test scores are considered if submitted. For the 2025 admissions cycle, enrolled students who provided test results demonstrated solid academic achievement, posting an ACT composite score range of 27 to 31. In the same year, the college reported a median SAT score of 1277, which was higher than 26% of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Only a small fraction of freshmen chose to submit standardized testing in 2025, reflecting a long-term decline in submission rates. In terms of secondary school performance, records from 2023–2024 show that an overwhelming majority of admitted students maintained strong classroom marks, predominantly earning grades in the A and high-B categories. For prospective applicants, a compelling application hinges primarily on rigorous coursework and sustained academic success, with submitted test scores serving to reinforce solid high school performance.

Undergraduate studies at Wofford College show a clear concentration in biological sciences and pre-professional business tracks. In 2025, the top three programs accounted for 43.3% of all bachelor's degrees awarded. Biology was the single largest major, graduating 94 students, followed by finance and psychology. While these fields attract the bulk of students, they are not accompanied by elite national departmental rankings; the undergraduate economics program, for instance, placed 213th in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, so the largest majors are not nationally ranked strengths. International students make up a small proportion of degree recipients, representing 2.8% of all graduates in 2025. In the job market, technical and business disciplines generate the highest immediate returns. According to 2023 earnings data, computer science graduates earned the highest median salary one year out at $74,737, with finance and accounting graduates also posting strong early earnings.

Wofford College educates an undergraduate population totaling 1,817 students in 2025, with domestic students from the surrounding region forming the vast majority of the campus community. Among the incoming first-year class, Asian students numbered 10, accounting for 2.3% of the group, while international students represented 1.2%. Continuing undergraduate cohorts exhibit nearly identical demographic proportions, where Asian and international students each represent less than three percent of enrollment. White students constitute more than three-quarters of the student body, followed by smaller representations of Black and Hispanic students, while transfer students make up only a tiny sliver of total enrollment. With both international and Asian students present in relatively limited counts, prospective applicants should recognize that Wofford has a predominantly domestic, traditional liberal arts student composition.

Wofford College serves a traditional college-aged undergraduate community, with no graduate programs operating on campus. In 2025, students aged 20 to 21 constituted the largest single cohort at 49.4% of the student body, followed closely by students aged 18 to 19, who made up 43.1%. Only a tiny fraction of undergraduates are aged 22 or older. This demographic structure indicates that campus life revolves almost entirely around young adults progressing directly from secondary school into full-time, four-year undergraduate study. With no graduate students present, academic activities, campus facilities, and extracurricular programs remain entirely dedicated to serving standard undergraduate learners throughout their college years.

International enrollment at Wofford College represents a very small portion of the overall campus community. In 2025, the college enrolled 41 international undergraduate students, accounting for 2.3% of the undergraduate body. In a comparison group of 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges, this proportion is higher than only 7% of peer schools, reflecting an international footprint well below the peer median. Because Wofford offers only undergraduate degrees, there are no graduate-level international students on campus. Among degree recipients, international students are heavily concentrated in business disciplines rather than the sciences or humanities. For example, international students made up 10.3% of graduates in finance in 2025, whereas their presence in accounting, economics, and biological sciences was minimal, and nonexistent in psychology and environmental studies. For international applicants seeking a campus with a substantial global cohort, Wofford offers a primarily domestic environment with limited international representation.

Applicants exploring colleges in the upstate South Carolina and neighboring North Carolina regions will find several distinctive alternatives within driving distance of Wofford College. Located just 28.8 kilometers away, Furman University is a fellow private liberal arts institution holding the 57th rank in the 2027 U.S. News liberal arts college rankings. Students considering large public research institutions can evaluate Clemson University, ranked 80th among National Universities and situated 54.7 kilometers from campus, or the University of South Carolina-Columbia, ranked 121st and located 84.2 kilometers away. For families looking for a highly selective liberal arts peer in North Carolina, Davidson College is positioned 71.9 kilometers to the northeast and holds the 16th rank among National Liberal Arts Colleges. These neighboring institutions provide families with viable comparisons across small college and large university settings in the region.

Campus safety records at Wofford College indicate that disciplinary policy violations constitute the predominant share of reported security incidents. In 2025, the crime rate per 1,000 students was 20.5, reflecting a significant decline from levels recorded in earlier years. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations were the most common incident type by a wide margin, totaling 341 cases. Drug disciplinary referrals formed the second-largest category over those same years, with 28 incidents logged. More serious offenses occurred at much lower frequencies, including modest counts of motor vehicle theft, stalking, and sexual offenses between 2023 and 2025. These data suggest that safety reports on campus are primarily driven by alcohol and drug policy enforcement rather than widespread violent crime, though families and students should remain aware of standard campus safety guidelines.