Division I FCS
Southern Conference
10 members on the site, as of 2025–26.
See them in ExploreMembers
- Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston, SC
- East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN
- Furman UniversityGreenville, SC
- Mercer UniversityMacon, GA
- Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL
- The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN
- University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC
- Virginia Military InstituteLexington, VA · joined 2024–25
- Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC
- Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, SC
At a glance
The median member against the median of every four-year college on the site, with the range from the lowest member to the highest. Each row has its own scale, starting at zero.
fall 2024 · 10 of 10 reporting
76% · 23%–89%
· all 77%fall 2024 · 10 of 10 reporting
9.9K · 2.1K–19.7K
· all 3.6Kfall 2024 · 10 of 10 reporting
4.4K · 1.5K–14.1K
· all 1.6K2023–24 · 10 of 10 reporting
$26,608 · $14,864–$34,947
· all $24,284fall 2024 · 10 of 10 reporting
29% · 5%–76%
· all 25%Entered fall 2018 · 10 of 10 reporting
72% · 50%–84%
· all 55%10 of 10 reporting
26% · 11%–50%
· all 34%
Over time
The median member each year. By default the line follows in every year, so it describes the same colleges throughout; switch to members at the time to see the conference as it was.
Applicants, median member · today's members in every year
Dashed: the median of every four-year college on the site. A year is left out when fewer than 80% of the members report it.
In total (members reporting both years): 10 members received 88.2K applications in fall 2024, against 57.6K in fall 2014; they enrolled 61.3K undergraduates in fall 2024, against 60.8K in fall 2014.
Members compared
Every member on each measure, highest first, so the spread behind each median is visible.
fall 2024 · 10 of 10 members
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro89%
- East Tennessee State University86%
- Samford University82%
- Western Carolina University82%
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga81%
- Virginia Military Institute71%
- Mercer University69%
- Wofford College52%
- Furman University43%
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina23%
Dashed: the median member, 76%.
fall 2024 · 10 of 10 members
- Western Carolina University19.7K
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro12.9K
- Furman University10.8K
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga10.5K
- East Tennessee State University10.1K
- Mercer University9.8K
- Samford University4.6K
- Wofford College4.5K
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina3.3K
- Virginia Military Institute2.1K
Dashed: the median member, 9.9K.
fall 2024 · 10 of 10 members
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro14.1K
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga10.1K
- Western Carolina University10K
- East Tennessee State University10K
- Mercer University4.5K
- Samford University4.2K
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina2.7K
- Furman University2.4K
- Wofford College1.8K
- Virginia Military Institute1.5K
Dashed: the median member, 4.4K.
2023–24 · 10 of 10 members
- Samford University$34,947
- Furman University$34,438
- Wofford College$31,371
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina$30,363
- Virginia Military Institute$27,507
- Mercer University$25,708
- East Tennessee State University$20,349
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga$18,169
- Western Carolina University$16,328
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro$14,864
Dashed: the median member, $26,608.
fall 2024 · 10 of 10 members
- Samford University76%
- Furman University62%
- Wofford College45%
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina44%
- Virginia Military Institute35%
- East Tennessee State University24%
- Western Carolina University22%
- Mercer University14%
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga10%
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro5%
Dashed: the median member, 29%.
Entered fall 2018 · 10 of 10 members
- Wofford College84%
- Furman University79%
- Samford University77%
- Virginia Military Institute76%
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina75%
- Mercer University70%
- Western Carolina University60%
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro56%
- East Tennessee State University53%
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga50%
Dashed: the median member, 72%.
· 10 of 10 members
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro50%
- Mercer University35%
- East Tennessee State University35%
- Western Carolina University35%
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga33%
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina20%
- Virginia Military Institute16%
- Wofford College16%
- Furman University13%
- Samford University11%
Dashed: the median member, 26%.
Who joined and left
Moves since 2014–15, among the site's colleges, by the school year the college first reported its new conference.
- 2024–25: Virginia Military Institute joined from the Big South Conference
How this was measured
- Members. Colleges that report the Southern Conference as their main today. A member playing football elsewhere is listed with its football conference but counted here.
- Medians. Every figure is the median member (counts and costs: the median member's own change), except the totals, which are labeled. A conference needs 8 members on the site, and a year needs 80% of members reporting; costs are .
- Members at the time reads each college's reported conference year by year, from 2014–15; colleges no longer on the site aren't included.
- The universe. The site's four-year colleges, which may not be every member. The page shows how members compare and changed, not why.
Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2014–15 to 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (admissions section), Fall 2013 to Fall 2013;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2014 to Fall 2024;College Scorecard (enrollment), Fall 2013 to Fall 2024;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2013–14 to 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2013–14 to 2023–24;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students), Fall 2014 to Fall 2024;College Scorecard (graduation by entering class), classes entering fall 2013 to fall 2018;inflation: BLS CPI-U, school-year averagesAbout the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)
Pell Grant recipients:College Scorecard, most recent releaseAbout the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)






