Furman University

Furman University's published cost of attendance is $76,798. Need-based financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $16,401, families in the lower-middle range pay around $17,290, middle-income families pay about $21,041, families in the upper-middle range pay approximately $27,736, and higher-income families pay around $39,310.

Azimuth ranks Furman University #1266 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Furman University meets demonstrated financial need for admitted students through a combination of need-based scholarships, grants, and loans. The aid structure prioritizes grants and scholarships over loans where possible, and families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Work-study is available as part of the aid package for eligible students. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $23,250, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $54,750; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at Furman University's median four-year earnings of $64,492, median federal debt of $23,250 projects to a monthly payment of about $263 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of Furman University earn median 4-year earnings of $64,492, placing Furman University in the 64.2 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $17,464 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Furman University in the 7.8 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks Furman University #734 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect both the quality of Furman's academic programs and the institution's ability to position graduates into careers with sustained earning potential.

The earnings pattern centers on Social Sciences, which anchors the institution's economic signature. Communication and Media Studies is the largest program with 66 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $64,014 — 1.1× the national benchmark for the field.

The Political Science program graduates 62 students with median 4-year earnings of $74,476, while Business Administration and Kinesiology round out the top programs by scale. Biology, General represents another significant enrollment cluster, contributing to the breadth of Furman's degree portfolio.

The concentration in Social Sciences — combined with strong outcomes across these major programs — helps explain why Furman graduates consistently achieve earnings that exceed expectations relative to similar students at comparable institutions.

Furman University's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences — a signature that reflects the institution's liberal arts identity and regional positioning. Communication and Media Studies is the largest program with 66 graduates, followed by Political Science, Business Administration, Kinesiology, and Biology, General.

The program portfolio spans 35 distinct majors, with 0 meeting Azimuth's ranking threshold across roughly 774 undergraduates annually. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in applied and quantitative fields.

Political Science leads with median earnings of $74,476 four years after enrollment, followed by Business Administration at $73,099, Communication and Media Studies at $64,014, Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services at $60,280, and Psychology, General at $57,264. Communication and Media Studies, the largest program by enrollment, generates median earnings of $64,014, demonstrating that scale and earnings strength align at Furman University.

The concentration of Social Sciences at 13%, combined with Business at 10% and Arts at 7%, shapes the institution's overall earnings profile and labor-market positioning. Many of Furman University's highest-earning programs are direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings reflect immediate labor-market outcomes.

The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these dominant program families align with regional and national wage trends. As a private liberal arts institution in the Southeast, Furman University positions its program mix to serve both students seeking traditional academic pathways and those targeting applied professional fields with strong early-career financial returns.