Furman Academy and Theological Institution, or just Furman University, is a private liberal art institution in Greenville, South Carolina. The University was founded in 1826 and named after the clergyman Richard Furman. The University has been a secular University since 1992, keeping Christo et Doctrinae, which means for Christ and learning, as its motto.

Furman is the oldest University in South Carolina, founded by the South Carolina Baptist Convection in 1825 and was first incorporated at Edgefield. It was later chartered by the state Legislature in 1850.

The prestigious Furman University has a suburban setting with a campus size spanning 800 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar for its academic schedule. Furman University ranked 45th in the 2023 edition of Best National Universities by U.S. News. Furman University has over 70 majors and minors in four innovative schools, including education, science, and art.

Furman University uses the vast resources of a large university with the benefits of a compatible liberal arts college. Furman has 2,827 undergraduate students on campus, with a small class size and relatable staff, making an average class size of 13 students with a student-to-faculty ratio 10:1.

Furman University is not divided into colleges but has centers and four institutes; the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Richard W. Riley Institute, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, and the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Furman University Ranking

 Furman University has a series of impressive ranking positions nationally and Internationally, making it one of the top universities in the United States of America and beyond.

Furman University was recently listed as one of the nation’s top universities in the newly released rankings from U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. In the U.S. Best Colleges 2023 edition category, Furman ranked No. 45 in the list and No.4 on the list of Most Innovative Schools.

In the world ranking, Tulane is ranked #819 in the Q.S. Global World Rankings 2022-2023. Other ranking indices are:

• Furman University was ranked #167 in the 2022-2023 edition of Top Colleges by Forbes 

• Furman University was ranked #14 in the 2022-2023 editions of Best Liberal Art University

• Furman University was ranked #29 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Undergraduate Teaching

• Furman University was ranked #31 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Undergraduate Research/ Creative Projects

• Furman University was ranked #76 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Value schools

Furman University Acceptance Rate 

Getting admitted into Furman University can be one of the greatest things ever, considering the overall prestige and impressive things you must have heard. But to do so, you must meet their GPA and SAT/ACT requirements. It is very important to stand a chance and prove your academic preparation.

As of 2023, Furman University’s acceptance rate is 57%. This is the perfect number to keep the hopes of whoever has always dreamt of schooling at such a great institution; make sure you cross out all their requirements. This is both academically and socially, as the school pays attention to extracurricular and voluntary activities.

Furman University Admission Requirements 

Furman University has strict requirements for admission test scores, generally expecting students to perform well academically and prove their readiness for higher education. From GPA to SAT/ACT, the University expects excellence from every applicant. 

ACT Scores Requirements

Available admission data indicates that Tulane regularly accepts students with ACT scores between 27 and 32. The school is estimated to accept minimum ACT composite scores of around 20 in some instances, but candidates submitting such would have to prove strength in other places.

SAT Scores Requirements

Furman University typically prefers applicants to submit impressive SAT scores if at all they decide to apply with it. And to be fair, they placed the margin between 1240 and 1420 out of 1600. The school is very strict with this and expects students to at least attain this and prove their abilities before being admitted.

Furman University Location 

Furman University’s main campus is located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the upstate region of South Carolina. It has a 40-acre lake as a major highlight of the 750-acre wooded campus. Paris Mountain State Park overlooks both the lake and the campus. 

Most buildings on the campus are of Georgian-style architecture. While the academic buildings and student residences surround the lake, including the Bell Tower, which stands high in school symbols and is a replica of the tower that once existed on the men’s campus in downtown Greenville. 

Today, The campus is anchored by its newly expanded 128,000-square-foot (11,900 m2) James B. Duke Library. Which is informally known as “The Country Club of the South,” Thanks to the school’s beauty, Furman was named one of the 362 most beautiful places in America by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Furman University Notable Alumni 

Furman University is one America’sof best and has produced a head of government, Nobel Prize laureate, winners of the Grammy Award, Emmy Award, Pulitzer Award, and the Newbery Medal, as well as U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen, state governors, and other government officials, judges, business leaders, entertainers, and athletes.

These notable alumni who have hugely impacted the world include:

• Charles H Townes: physicist, 1964 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics
• John B. Watson: psychologist, founder of Behaviorism
• Richard Riley: United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton
• Herman W. Lay: founder of Frito-Lay potato chips
• Eleanor Beardsley: bilingual journalist and foreign correspondent for National Public Radio based in Paris
• Amy Grant: contemporary Christian/pop artist and 6-time Grammy Award winner
• John Michael McDonnell: Admiral, former Director of the National Security Agency, and former Director of National Intelligence in President George W. Bush’s administration
• Brad Cox: computer scientist, creator of the Objective-C programming language
• Keith Lockhart: conductor, music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra
• Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr.:television pioneer, the co-inventor of the first arcade game to use a cathode-ray tube
• Robert Blocker: Dean of the Yale School of Music
• John F. Mulholland Jr.: former CIA associate director

Furman University Tuition and Fees 

Below is the 2022-2023 cost of attendance for undergraduate students enrolled full-time at Furman University.

• Freshman Resident

Tuition & Fees- $55,772

Room- $9,560

Board- $6,580

Books- $1,000

Transportation- Variable

Miscellaneous- $2,000

TOTAL- $74,912 (including transportation)

• Continuing Resident

Tuition & Fees- $55,772

Room- $10,350

Board- $6,580

Books- $1,000

Transportation-Variable

Miscellaneous- $2,000

TOTAL- $75,702 ( including transportation)

Furman University Scholarships 

At Furman University, the most prestigious national and international scholarships are provided to help fund undergraduate and graduate education. These prizes recognize outstanding achievement in the classroom and the world beyond it. 

But to be as fair and just as possible, these scholarships can take time to obtain, even for the best students. Competitive applicants must have at least a 3.45 Gp grade point average, a wide variety of extracurricular and community activities, and leadership skills to be considered or at least be among the top applicants. Some of the scholarships offered by the schools include;

• Departmental Scholarships 
• Merit-Based Scholarships 
• Lay Scholarships 
• Duke Scholarships program
• Hollingsworth Scholarships 
• Townes Scholarships 

One of the main attractions of Furman University is its beautiful campus, which is a perfect blend of nature and architectural beauty. This makes room for a breathing, self-thriving environment for students who want to pursue academic excellence and world dominance to succeed.