Quad

Head-to-head

Hillsdale
Furman

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Hillsdale's yield is 39 pts higher than Furman's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Hillsdale costs about $10.2K less per year on average than Furman ($24,283 vs. $34,438, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Hillsdale is 2.2× more selective than Furman

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    Furman has 1.5× as many undergrads as Hillsdale

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    Hillsdale's SAT midpoint is 55 points higher than Furman's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    Furman's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 50% at Hillsdale

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Hillsdale admits 21%, Furman 46%; Hillsdale's yield is higher, at 56%.

Acceptance rate
Hillsdale21%
Furman46%
Quad's selectivity
  • HillsdaleHighly selective
  • FurmanVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Hillsdale
1320–1490
Furman
1280–1410
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • HillsdaleRigor, GPA, and tests very important94%
  • FurmanRigor and GPA very important44%

Who's on each campus

Furman has 1.5× as many undergrads as Hillsdale and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Hillsdale1.6K
Furman2.4K
Pell Grant share
Hillsdale0%
Furman13%

Majors and faculty

History leads at Hillsdale, and Business Administration and Management at Furman; Hillsdale has 8 students per faculty member to Furman's 10.

Students per faculty member
Hillsdale8 to 1
Furman10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • HillsdaleHistory, General11%
  • FurmanBusiness Administration and Management, General13%

What each costs

Hillsdale costs about $10.2K less a year than Furman on average; Furman's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Hillsdale$24.3K
Furman$34.4K
Aid generosity
Hillsdale50%
Furman55%

What each pays off

Furman's former students earn a median $68.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
HillsdaleNot reported
Furman$68.6K
Graduation rate
Hillsdale86%
Furman84%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • HillsdaleGrowingsince fall 2015+71%
  • FurmanGrowing+136%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Hillsdale College Common Data Set 2018–19, Fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Furman University (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;Furman University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Furman University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Furman University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why