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Boiling-Springs-water-tower-ncPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Colleges in and near Boiling Springs

Boiling Springs is a college town: 28 of every 100 residents are students

Gardner-Webb University (1,973 students on campus) is inside the town. Across North Carolina, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town28% of residents are studentsGardner-Webb University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Boiling Springs. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
3
4,016 students on campus
Nearest college
0.4 mi
Gardner-Webb University
Residents in college
28%
Above NC (6%)
Nearest community college
9.8 mi
Cleveland · $2,602 tuition
Nearest public university
41.8 mi
Carolinas College of Health Sciences · $18,882 in-state
Students on campus in Boiling Springs
1,973
next to 4,799 residents

What stands out about college in Boiling Springs

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town28 of every 100 Boiling Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.A university in Boiling SpringsGardner-Webb University has 1,973 students on campus in Boiling Springs, 55% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 9.8 miles awayCleveland Community College in Shelby: tuition and fees $2,602 a year for North Carolina residents.In-state price at Carolinas College of Health SciencesLiving in North Carolina, Carolinas College of Health Sciences charges $18,882 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Boiling Springs

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

28 of every 100 Boiling Springs residents are in college (NC: 6).

1,973students on campus at Gardner-Webb University, next to 4,799 residents (dorm students count as residents)
273college students live in Boiling Springs households rather than dorms
22.4median age · NC 39.1
24%of homes rented · NC 33%
$1,192median rent · 3% below the state
Boiling SpringsBoiling Springs, NC
Cost of living$1,192/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIHealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundBHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Boiling Springs’ other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 2.4% of Boiling Springs residents are below the poverty line, 2.2% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 3 points either way). 4% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (28% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Boiling Springs’ median age is 22.4 (North Carolina 39.1), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Boiling Springs

Two private colleges within 13.5 miles, and Cleveland Community College 9.8 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Carolinas College of Health Sciences, is 41.8 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miGardner-Webb UniversityLimestone UniversityClevelandBoiling Springs
University or collegeCommunity college
Gardner-Webb UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,973 on campus · In Boiling Springs77%admitted$18knet price55%graduate$48kearningsCleveland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 904 on campus · 9.8 mi · Shelby · mostly online$1knet price32%graduate$34kearnings52% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Tuition and fees: $2,602 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Limestone UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,139 on campus · 13.5 mi · Gaffney, SC

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Boiling Springs’ median household income ($89,875) falls.

Cleveland Community College9.8 mi · Shelby · mostly online · sticker $5,565 · tuition $2,602$3,987a year
Gardner-Webb UniversityIn Boiling Springs · sticker $47,091$15,946a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Gardner-Webb UniversityClevelandCarolinas College of Health Sciences
Gardner-Webb University55% graduate$48k earnings$24k typical debt
Cleveland Community College32% graduate$34k earnings
Carolinas College of Health Sciences100% graduate$65k earnings$15k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Boiling Springs

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Gardner-Webb University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 20%Business 19%Education 13%Psychology 12%Biology 11%Parks & recreation 4%Everything else 20%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing74 graduates a year
$75k4 yrs out
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology39 graduates a year
$43k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations37 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods35 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Psychology, General26 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections25 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services20 graduates a year
$59k4 yrs out
Biology, General19 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Boiling Springs

Is Boiling Springs a college town?

Yes. 28 of every 100 Boiling Springs residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across North Carolina. Gardner-Webb University has 1,973 students on campus, next to 4,799 residents.

What colleges are in Boiling Springs?

Gardner-Webb University is inside the town. Cleveland Community College is 9.8 miles away in Shelby.

Why is Boiling Springs’ poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 2.4% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 2.2% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 3 points).

What is the closest community college to Boiling Springs, and what does it cost?

Cleveland Community College in Shelby, 9.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,602 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $995, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Gardner-Webb University?

Gardner-Webb University admitted 77% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 975–1,198 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Boiling Springs. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →