| Location: | Southeast |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Patriots |
Francis Marion University (formerly Francis Marion College) is a state-supported liberal arts university located seven miles east of Florence, South Carolina, USA. It is named in honor of American Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General Francis Marion.
The university dates back to 1957, when the University of South Carolina set up a freshman center at the Florence County Library. A few years later, in 1961, USC-Florence was set up on land donated by the Wallace family eight miles east of Florence, South Carolina. In 1966, many in the Florence area pushed to establish a four-year university. Governor Robert E. McNair eventually signed into law an act creating Francis Marion College, effective July 1, 1970. The newly created Francis Marion College initially enrolled 907 students from 23 of South Carolina's 46 counties in 10 departments.
In 1992, Francis Marion College achieved university status and subsequently changed its name to Francis Marion University. Today, Francis Marion enrolls over 4,000 students from 26 states and 16 countries. Francis Marion is one of South Carolina's thirteen state-supported universities. Since 1999, Francis Marion University has consistently ranked in the top 100 master's level institutions in the southern United States in US News and World Reports Best Colleges and Universities.
Located on a tract of land originally included in a grant by the King of England and later made a cotton plantation by the Wallace Family, Francis Marion University is situated 7 miles east of Florence. The campus includes of mixed pine-hardwood and bottomland forests accessed by a series of trails. The University is located on U.S. Highways 76 and 301 and is just an hour's drive from Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand and 4 hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains. With a metropolitan-area population of 198,000, the city of Florence is nestled alongside Interstate 95, the main north-south corridor from the New England area to Miami, and at the eastern end of Interstate 20. The city is served by Amtrak, bus service, and a regional airport.
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| Percent of Students International: | 1% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 40% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Basketball (Peach Belt Conference) Baseball (Peach Belt Conference) Track (Peach Belt Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 5,849 | $ 11,698 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 135 | $ 135 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,273 | 20% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 4,191 | 37% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 2,117 | 8% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,973 | 24% | |
Any Aid: |
84% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 71% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 68% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 440, Math: 440 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 540, Math: 530 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 25% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 17, Math: 16 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 21, Verbal: 21, Math: 21 |
| Application Fee: | $ 30.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
