Furman University Admission
Furman University Undergraduate Program
Furman University Application

The Facts

Furman University is a rather moderately sized, private, liberal arts university located in the town of Greenville, South Carolina, and is home to over 3,000 undergraduate students and approximately 500 graduate and part-time students. The university is perhaps best known for emphasizing hands-on education, and encouraging students to get involved in every aspect of their education. The university is actually divided up into several smaller undergraduate colleges, including schools of liberal arts, business, and natural and human sciences, as well as education. The university offers its students a wide range of many pre professionally-geared majors, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of political science, business administration, history, health and exercise science, as well as biology.

Admission to Furman University is not particularly competitive numerically, however, the number of applicants has been steadily increasing along with attention and prestige. Last year, over 4,000 students applied to the school for admission, and approximately 2,300 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, about 700 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1190 to 1370, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 26 to 30. Additionally, over 68% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of around 3.8.

Furman University has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 12:1, and most professors get high marks for their dedication and accessibility. There are the occasional teachers who don't seem to care much for helping students, but it is rare to hear a complaint. Most classes at Furman are well under 20 students, and are primarily discussion based, even many of the core curriculum classes are held in this intimate format. The core curriculum itself is fairly demanding however, and it usually takes students about two years until they begin working on their majors.

The Social Scene

The town of Greenville, South Carolina is a charming southern town with plenty of shops, bars, cafes, restaurants and movie theaters for students, and the university even has shuttles that take students into town and back. Unfortunately, most of the shops and cafes are fairly expensive, but at least there are options. The campus is surrounded by lovely nature, and many students choose to do outdoor activities on the weekends, including hiking, boating, swimming in the nearby Atlantic , and fishing in the area river and lakes.

The school has several fraternities and sororities that tend to dictate on campus social life, and although the administration has a fairly strict dry policy, students seem to have no problem skirting their way around it. Drinking is definitely a popular activity, both on and off campus, despite the seemingly conservative atmosphere.

The dating scene is what you make of it; there isn't much diversity, but you can expect a huge amount of Southern charm and hospitality.

What’s Good

”The campus is gorgeous, and its nice to walk from class to class in such gorgeous natural surroundings.”

“Greenville is really cute, and it has really begun to embrace its status as a college town.”

“People are really really friendly here, and aren't afraid to smile at a stranger, which is comforting when you're a new student.”

What’s Bad

“There isn't really a whole lot to do, and any city is pretty far away, and impossible to get to without a car.”

“The dry policy really sucks, and the on campus party scene is generally pretty lame.”

“The dorms are really tiny, and it can get extremely claustrophobic.”

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