“Small-town Lutheran liberal arts college in central South Carolina with deep traditions in music, business and nursing — and a record-setting growth story.”
Newberry College is a private, residential liberal arts college in the small town of Newberry, South Carolina, midway between Greenville and Columbia in the heart of the state's Midlands. Chartered in 1856 by the South Carolina Lutheran Synod and led at its founding by the Charleston minister and naturalist Rev. John Bachman, Newberry is one of 28 colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). That heritage shapes campus life through chapel programs, service traditions and a values-driven academic culture, while remaining welcoming to students of every faith and background. With roughly 1,500 students on a compact 90-acre campus, Newberry combines the intimacy of a small Lutheran college with surprising academic breadth — about 47 undergraduate majors organized across divisions in Arts & Communications, Business Administration, Humanities, Music, Nursing & Health Sciences, Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sport Professions, and Teacher Education. Newberry is best known for its signature programs in music (a tradition stretching back to the 19th century with strong performance and music-education tracks), business administration, and a fast-growing prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing housed in the Nursing & Health Sciences division. Class sizes are small, faculty know students by name, and undergraduates routinely take on research, performance and clinical roles that would be reserved for graduate students at larger universities. Residential life is the default: about 90% of students live on campus across nine residence halls, including Brokaw Hall (the freshman hub), the historic Smeltzer Hall, and the renovated Oakland Mill suite-style residence. Athletics is a defining part of the experience — Newberry fields 24 NCAA Division II teams as the Wolves, competing in the South Atlantic Conference (and Conference Carolinas for wrestling), with a 2025 SAC football championship and a No. 1 NCAA seed in field hockey adding to a strong recent run. The town of Newberry itself, anchored by the historic 1882 Newberry Opera House, gives students a walkable downtown feel; Columbia is about 40 miles east and Greenville about 75 miles west, both reachable in roughly an hour by car. The college has set new total-enrollment records in five of the last nine years, reflecting steady investment in academics, facilities and student support.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Regional Colleges South
US News Best Colleges 2026
Best Colleges for Veterans (Regional Colleges South)
US News Best Colleges 2026
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
Applications open July 1 of the prior year; decisions issued shortly after the file is complete.
Priority / Scholarship Deadline
Apply by March 1 for full scholarship consideration; awards may not be available for late applicants.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$27,850
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
One of Newberry's signature divisions, with roots in the 19th century. Offers performance and music-education tracks, ensembles open to all majors, and frequent recital opportunities in a small-studio setting.
Houses the college's most heavily enrolled bachelor's pathway, with concentrations including Health Care Management and an International Studies / foreign-language track that pairs business with global perspective.
Anchored by the prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing, this fast-growing division also offers Health Science, Nutrition, Public Health and an online RN-to-BSN completion program.
Long-standing program preparing certified teachers for South Carolina classrooms, with concentrations spanning early childhood through secondary, plus physical education and music education.
A popular pathway given Newberry's NCAA Division II athletic culture, including sport and fitness management, exercise science and athletic-related majors.
Pre-professional foundation for students heading to medical, dental, pharmacy and veterinary school, with biology, chemistry and mathematics degrees and small lab sections.
4 years
Newberry's BSN prepares students for NCLEX-RN licensure with clinical placements across central South Carolina hospitals. Small cohorts and direct faculty supervision distinguish the program from large state-school nursing tracks.
4 years
A signature program reflecting Newberry's Lutheran musical heritage, with private studio instruction, choral and instrumental ensembles, and frequent solo recital opportunities — open to majors and non-majors alike.
4 years
Newberry's most heavily enrolled major, offered with concentrations including Health Care Management. Class sizes stay small enough for case-style discussion and direct mentoring from faculty with industry backgrounds.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $31,100
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
