Gardner-Webb University Rankings & Recognition

Gardner-Webb University appears in 7 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #332 of 379 for criminal justice, and #12 of 17 ranked colleges in North Carolina.

Gardner-Webb University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #332 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 28 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $51,709; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $23,199; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 28.5 of 100 · #12 of 17 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 29th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 26th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 25th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 37th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 45% of earnings

Ranked just above: Texas A&M University-Central Texas (#331)
Ranked just below: St. Thomas University-Florida (#333)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Accounting

Ranked #404 of 408 for value

Accounting and Related Services · 21 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $58,918; Ranked-college median: $76,108
Median debt: $25,000; Ranked-college median: $20,500

Value score 13.6 of 100 · #9 of 9 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 4th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 35th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 2th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 19th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 42% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Dubuque (#403)
Ranked just below: Wilmington University-Delaware (#405)

Best colleges for accounting

Education

Ranked #490 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 42 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,110; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $27,643; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 22.6 of 100 · #16 of 16 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 25th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 31th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 4th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 26th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 61% of earnings

Ranked just above: Oral Roberts University (#489)
Ranked just below: Grambling State University (#491)

Best colleges for education

Nursing

Ranked #654 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 76 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $75,117; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $21,500; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 21.8 of 100 · #20 of 20 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 9th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 36th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 26th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 29th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 29% of earnings

Ranked just above: Barton College (#653)
Ranked just below: Shorter University (#655)

Best colleges for nursing

Biology

Ranked #656 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 23 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,505; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $23,250; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 19.5 of 100 · #23 of 23 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 13th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 37th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 11th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 20th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 48% of earnings

Ranked just above: Spelman College (#655)
Ranked just below: Hawaii Pacific University (#657)

Best colleges for biology

Business

Ranked #750 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 37 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $61,489; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $22,765; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 35.6 of 100 · #18 of 34 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 36th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 41th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 32th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 32th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 37% of earnings

Ranked just above: Peru State College (#749)
Ranked just below: Northern State University (#751)

Best colleges for business

Psychology

Ranked #791 of 814 for value

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology · 36 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $42,936; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $25,694; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 19.5 of 100 · #21 of 22 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 12th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 41th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 4th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 24th percentile

Average net price $21,150 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 47.5% · debt is 60% of earnings