Classes for the 2025-2026 academic year started this week as Anderson University, the largest private university in the state of South Carolina, kicked off its 115th year.
A record 9,000 students made application for entry into this year’s class, an indication of the competitive nature of Anderson’s admission today.
Categorized as a “more selective” institution by US News & World Report, Anderson University continues its decades-long growth amid new headwinds facing higher education today. All told, 920 new undergraduate students make up the Anderson University Class of 2029, which includes 809 freshmen and 111 transfers.
Of those:
• 74 percent of students live in South Carolina, with another 26 percent from out of state
• Students of color in the incoming class reached a record-high of 20 percent
• Incoming students arrive at AU with an average GPA of 4.37; an SAT average of above 1200 and an ACT average of 25
Anderson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Popular undergraduate majors remain engineering, nursing and other health professions, business and economics, cybersecurity, teacher education, natural sciences, pre-law, pre-medicine, theology and ministry, the arts, and architectural interior design.
Of note, Anderson’s cybersecurity program ranks 6th in the nation and the university places growing numbers of its graduates from all fields in competitive graduate schools, including law and medicine.
In addition to Wednesday’s first day of classes, notable dates taking place in the coming days and weeks include:
• The Big Welcome Fireworks Event on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m., taking place at Spero Financial Field at Melvin and Dollie Younts Stadium
• Opening Convocation on Wednesday, Sept. 3
• Season-opening home football game on Saturday, Sept. 6
• Homecoming and Family Day on Saturday, Oct. 4
— Andrew J. Beckner is executive director of public relations at Anderson University.