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Basic Information

Type Private
Geographical Reach Regional
Religious Affiliation Baptist
Location Columbia, SC
Population 550,000
Website https://www.benedict.edu/
Map of the United States

Weather

Comfortable Days 105 (50%)
Sunshine Hours 2,845 (80%)
Days Without Precipitation 255 (65%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 1,614
Men / Women 50% / 50%
Athletes 30.8%

Racial/Ethnic

Black 78%
International 10%
Hispanic 3%
Mixed 3%
White 1%
Native American 0%
Asian 0%

Men in the Entering Class

Men
0% 15% 30% 45% 60% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 Men: 42.5% 42.5% 2020 Men: 41.3% 41.3% 2021 Men: 47.4% 47.4% 2022 Men: 48.8% 48.8% 2023 Men: 46.7% 46.7% 2024 Men: 53.6% 53.6%

Entering Class by Race & Ethnicity

Native Asian Black Hispanic White International
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2011 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2012 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2013 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2014 Native: 0.1% 0.1% 2015 Native: 0.1% 0.1% 2016 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2017 Native: 0.2% 0.2% 2018 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2019 Native: 0.2% 0.2% 2020 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2021 Native: 0.0% 0.0% 2022 Native: 0.7% 0.7% 2023 Native: 0.5% 0.5% 2024 Native: 0.3% 0.3% 2011 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2012 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2013 Asian: 0.1% 0.1% 2014 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2015 Asian: 0.1% 0.1% 2016 Asian: 0.1% 0.1% 2017 Asian: 0.2% 0.2% 2018 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2019 Asian: 0.9% 0.9% 2020 Asian: 0.5% 0.5% 2021 Asian: 0.2% 0.2% 2022 Asian: 0.2% 0.2% 2023 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2024 Asian: 0.0% 0.0% 2011 Black: 98.5% 98.5% 2012 Black: 98.9% 98.9% 2013 Black: 98.5% 98.5% 2014 Black: 98.2% 98.2% 2015 Black: 99.4% 99.4% 2016 Black: 99.3% 99.3% 2017 Black: 97.8% 97.8% 2018 Black: 98.4% 98.4% 2019 Black: 97.8% 97.8% 2020 Black: 99.1% 99.1% 2021 Black: 98.8% 98.8% 2022 Black: 75.4% 75.4% 2023 Black: 94.6% 94.6% 2024 Black: 83.8% 83.8% 2011 Hispanic: 1.1% 1.1% 2012 Hispanic: 0.5% 0.5% 2013 Hispanic: 0.6% 0.6% 2014 Hispanic: 0.8% 0.8% 2015 Hispanic: 0.2% 0.2% 2016 Hispanic: 0.3% 0.3% 2017 Hispanic: 0.4% 0.4% 2018 Hispanic: 0.7% 0.7% 2019 Hispanic: 0.4% 0.4% 2020 Hispanic: 0.0% 0.0% 2021 Hispanic: 0.2% 0.2% 2022 Hispanic: 0.5% 0.5% 2023 Hispanic: 2.2% 2.2% 2024 Hispanic: 2.6% 2.6% 2011 White: 0.2% 0.2% 2012 White: 0.0% 0.0% 2013 White: 0.0% 0.0% 2014 White: 0.1% 0.1% 2015 White: 0.1% 0.1% 2016 White: 0.2% 0.2% 2017 White: 0.8% 0.8% 2018 White: 0.5% 0.5% 2019 White: 0.4% 0.4% 2020 White: 0.4% 0.4% 2021 White: 0.9% 0.9% 2022 White: 0.8% 0.8% 2023 White: 2.7% 2.7% 2024 White: 0.4% 0.4% 2011 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2012 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2013 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2014 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2015 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2016 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2017 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2018 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2019 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2020 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2021 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2022 International: 1.2% 1.2% 2023 International: 0.0% 0.0% 2024 International: 1.4% 1.4%

Share of the full-time first-time degree-seeking cohort. Groups IPEDS reports separately — two or more races, and race unknown — are left out, so the lines don't sum to 100%.

Enrolled Undergraduates by Race & Ethnicity

Native Asian Black Hispanic White International
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2020 Native: 0.9% 0.9% 2021 Native: 0.6% 0.6% 2022 Native: 1.0% 1.0% 2023 Native: 0.5% 0.5% 2024 Native: 0.6% 0.6% 2025 Native: 0.4% 0.4% 2020 Asian: 0.3% 0.3% 2021 Asian: 0.3% 0.3% 2022 Asian: 0.3% 0.3% 2023 Asian: 0.2% 0.2% 2024 Asian: 0.1% 0.1% 2025 Asian: 0.2% 0.2% 2020 Black: 84.8% 84.8% 2021 Black: 82.1% 82.1% 2022 Black: 80.5% 80.5% 2023 Black: 78.7% 78.7% 2024 Black: 78.4% 78.4% 2025 Black: 78.2% 78.2% 2020 Hispanic: 2.3% 2.3% 2021 Hispanic: 3.1% 3.1% 2022 Hispanic: 2.7% 2.7% 2023 Hispanic: 2.2% 2.2% 2024 Hispanic: 2.6% 2.6% 2025 Hispanic: 3.0% 3.0% 2020 White: 0.8% 0.8% 2021 White: 0.9% 0.9% 2022 White: 0.7% 0.7% 2023 White: 0.9% 0.9% 2024 White: 1.1% 1.1% 2025 White: 1.3% 1.3% 2020 International: 7.9% 7.9% 2021 International: 10.3% 10.3% 2022 International: 13.3% 13.3% 2023 International: 15.1% 15.1% 2024 International: 12.9% 12.9% 2025 International: 10.1% 10.1%

Share of all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, not just the entering class. Same excluded groups as above.

IPEDS Admissions (2011–2024), Graduation Rates (2011–2024) and 12-month Enrollment (2020–2025) surveys. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Schools & Majors

⇅ Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Benedict College 283 32% / 68% 25% $42,746 25 97%
Computer Engineering 4 — 75% / 25% 50% $84,618 93 —
Environmental Engineering 2 — 50% / 50% 100% $74,957 87 —
Computer Science 9 — 67% / 33% 67% $69,450 82 —
Cybersecurity 10 — 60% / 40% 60% $56,202 62 —
Chemistry 1 — 0% / 100% 0% $38,620 15 —
Physics 1 — 0% / 100% 0% $59,108 68 —
Biology 49 — 16% / 84% 33% $36,022 11 100%
Environmental Health 3 — 0% / 100% 100% $38,503 15 —
Public Health 6 — 17% / 83% 0% $37,877 14 —
Accounting 6 — 50% / 50% 17% $58,688 67 —
Business Administration 36 — 44% / 56% 22% $34,951 9 95%
Entrepreneurship — — — — $37,907 14 —
Finance 9 — 11% / 89% 78% $58,679 67 —
Marketing 6 — 0% / 100% 33% — — —
Sport Management 23 — 61% / 39% 4% $40,661 19 —
English 1 — 100% / 0% 0% $39,714 17 —
General Studies 7 — 43% / 57% 14% $42,950 26 100%
Human Development and Family Studies — — — — $34,761 9 100%
Mass Communication 12 — 33% / 67% 17% $25,043 3 92%
Political Science 1 — 0% / 100% 0% — — —
Psychology 25 — 16% / 84% 8% $41,560 22 100%
Social Work 14 — 7% / 93% 14% $45,978 35 94%
Early Childhood Education — — — — $36,969 12 —
Elementary Education 8 — 25% / 75% 25% $36,969 12 100%
Music 9 — 78% / 22% 11% $35,566 10 —
Music Management 3 — 33% / 67% 0% $36,273 11 —
Studio Art 5 — 40% / 60% 0% $34,981 9 —
Criminal Justice 29 — 21% / 79% 10% $44,784 31 94%
Electrical Engineering Technology 4 — 0% / 100% 75% $80,374 91 —

Financial

Tuition & Fees $18,661
ROI Percentile 25th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 57%
4-Year Graduation Rate 13%
6-Year Graduation Rate 24%
Transfer-Out Rate 6%

Six-Year Graduation Rate

Graduated
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2011 Graduated: 26.5% 26.5% 2012 Graduated: 28.8% 28.8% 2013 Graduated: 30.0% 30.0% 2014 Graduated: 31.0% 31.0% 2015 Graduated: 26.8% 26.8% 2016 Graduated: 21.6% 21.6% 2017 Graduated: 26.5% 26.5% 2018 Graduated: 29.1% 29.1% 2019 Graduated: 24.4% 24.4% 2020 Graduated: 28.2% 28.2% 2021 Graduated: 24.7% 24.7% 2022 Graduated: 19.8% 19.8% 2023 Graduated: 21.1% 21.1% 2024 Graduated: 24.3% 24.3%

Students finishing within 150% of normal time. Each year labels the cohort that entered six years earlier — 2024 tracks the class that started in 2018.

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Gender

Men Women
0% 12% 24% 36% 48% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2011 Men: 19.6% 19.6% 2012 Men: 25.0% 25.0% 2013 Men: 21.6% 21.6% 2014 Men: 22.9% 22.9% 2015 Men: 20.1% 20.1% 2016 Men: 15.0% 15.0% 2017 Men: 16.4% 16.4% 2018 Men: 20.4% 20.4% 2019 Men: 16.5% 16.5% 2020 Men: 18.8% 18.8% 2021 Men: 17.3% 17.3% 2022 Men: 12.2% 12.2% 2023 Men: 15.4% 15.4% 2024 Men: 22.4% 22.4% 2011 Women: 33.9% 33.9% 2012 Women: 33.0% 33.0% 2013 Women: 38.5% 38.5% 2014 Women: 39.0% 39.0% 2015 Women: 33.7% 33.7% 2016 Women: 28.0% 28.0% 2017 Women: 36.0% 36.0% 2018 Women: 37.7% 37.7% 2019 Women: 34.4% 34.4% 2020 Women: 38.6% 38.6% 2021 Women: 33.3% 33.3% 2022 Women: 27.6% 27.6% 2023 Women: 27.0% 27.0% 2024 Women: 26.0% 26.0%

IPEDS reports the cohort as men and women only.

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity

Black
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2011 Black: 26.3% 26.3% 2012 Black: 28.7% 28.7% 2013 Black: 29.7% 29.7% 2014 Black: 31.0% 31.0% 2015 Black: 26.7% 26.7% 2016 Black: 21.6% 21.6% 2017 Black: 26.4% 26.4% 2018 Black: 29.2% 29.2% 2019 Black: 23.5% 23.5% 2020 Black: 28.3% 28.3% 2021 Black: 24.5% 24.5% 2022 Black: 24.3% 24.3% 2023 Black: 21.4% 21.4% 2024 Black: 24.0% 24.0%

Each group's completers over its own share of the entering cohort. Groups making up less than 2% of everyone this college graduated over the period are left off — their rates swing on a handful of students and read as noise.

IPEDS Graduation Rates survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Business & Economics 28.3% 80 42% / 58% 24% $41,536 22 95%
Humanities & Social Sciences 21.2% 60 22% / 78% 12% $39,383 17 97%
Life & Natural Sciences 17.3% 49 16% / 84% 33% $36,022 11 100%
Professional 11.7% 33 18% / 82% 18% $49,098 44 94%
Computer Science 6.7% 19 63% / 37% 63% $62,477 74 —
Arts 6.0% 17 59% / 41% 6% $35,519 10 —
Health Sciences 3.2% 9 11% / 89% 33% $38,086 14 —
Education 2.8% 8 25% / 75% 25% $36,969 12 100%
Engineering 2.1% 6 67% / 33% 67% $81,398 91 —
Physical Sciences & Math 0.7% 2 0% / 100% 0% $48,864 43 —

Research

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Education $2.6M #157 47% $0 — — — —
Physical Sciences & Math $1.3M #332 35% $0 — — — —
Business & Economics $0.8M #223 76% $0 — — — —
Computer Science $0.8M #239 34% $0 — — — —
Humanities & Social Sciences $0.4M #398 18% $0 — — — —
Health Sciences $0.4M #299 75% $0 — — — —
Life & Natural Sciences $0.3M #441 78% $0 — — — —
Engineering $0.2M #349 93% $0 — — — —
Agriculture & Food Science $0 #318 — $0 — — — —
Total $6.8M #347 49% $0 — — — —

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Admissions

Uses Common App No
Acceptance Rate 86%
Yield (Unbound) 8%
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 86% 86% 86%

Acceptance & Yield

Acceptance Yield
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 Acceptance: 76.8% 76.8% 2020 Acceptance: 72.6% 72.6% 2021 Acceptance: 85.5% 85.5% 2022 Acceptance: 67.8% 67.8% 2023 Acceptance: 67.3% 67.3% 2024 Acceptance: 95.7% 95.7% 2019 Yield: 12.7% 12.7% 2020 Yield: 6.3% 6.3% 2021 Yield: 7.3% 7.3% 2022 Yield: 8.7% 8.7% 2023 Yield: 6.2% 6.2% 2024 Yield: 8.0% 8.0%

Applicants, Admitted & Enrolled

Applicants Admitted Enrolled
0 2,500 5,000 7,500 10,000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 Applicants: 7,554 7,554 2020 Applicants: 8,114 8,114 2021 Applicants: 9,322 9,322 2022 Applicants: 6,446 6,446 2023 Applicants: 8,073 8,073 2024 Applicants: 5,098 5,098 2019 Admitted: 5,799 5,799 2020 Admitted: 5,890 5,890 2021 Admitted: 7,971 7,971 2022 Admitted: 4,369 4,369 2023 Admitted: 5,433 5,433 2024 Admitted: 4,879 4,879 2019 Enrolled: 739 739 2020 Enrolled: 373 373 2021 Enrolled: 584 584 2022 Enrolled: 381 381 2023 Enrolled: 338 338 2024 Enrolled: 390 390

IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional

SAT Composite

25th 75th
800 900 1000 1100 1200 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 25th: 820 820 2022 25th: 820 820 2023 25th: 820 820 2019 75th: 1030 1030 2022 75th: 1020 1020 2023 75th: 1010 1010

SAT Math

25th 75th
400 450 500 550 600 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 25th: 400 400 2022 25th: 400 400 2023 25th: 400 400 2019 75th: 510 510 2022 75th: 500 500 2023 75th: 500 500

SAT Reading & Writing

25th 75th
400 450 500 550 600 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 25th: 420 420 2022 25th: 420 420 2023 25th: 420 420 2019 75th: 520 520 2022 75th: 520 520 2023 75th: 510 510

Submitting a Test Score

Submitted
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019 Submitted: 86.0% 86.0% 2022 Submitted: 16.0% 16.0% 2023 Submitted: 100.0% 100.0%

IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line. Test-score submission adds SAT and ACT submitters, capped at 100% — a student can send both.