City Town Info

Converse College

Converse College

Converse College was established in 1889, and is a liberal arts college for women located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Students are offered to select majors from more than 30 areas of study which include politics, theatre, biology, business, and interior design, among others. A number of Career and Pre-Professional Programs are also offered at Converse College. A few of them are Pre-Health Professions, Pre-Law, and Pre-Ministry. The College is organized into the following academic divisions:

  • The College of Arts and Sciences
  • The Petrie School of Music
  • The School of Education and Graduate Studies

Converse College participates in a wide variety of sports including basketball, swimming, tennis, and soccer. Their athletic teams are nicknamed as the Valkyries. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.

Overview of Converse College

Spartanburg, SC is home to Converse. Spartanburg is a small city. The school is a private, not-for-profit institution. Degrees at Converse go up to the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

Students at the school can choose among many degree programs. Students commonly pursue studies in mathematics, music, and education and teaching.

Converse Selectivity

Prospective students are advised that admissions are not open to all; the school selects from among qualified applicants. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 510. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 480 and 590.

Faculty

The school maintains a faculty/student ratio (full-time) which is better than most colleges. Converse has a tenure system for senior faculty.

Student Body

The school has 1,881 enrolled students (as of 2007). A very high share of students at Converse are female.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at the school. Converse offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school offers students meal plans. Converse values student athletics, and belongs to the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Converse

Converse College
580 E Main St
Spartanburg, SC 29302-0006
General Phone: (864) 596-9000
http://www.converse.edu

Converse Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Education And Teaching276elementary school teaching, secondary teaching, gifted and talended education, educational administration, educational admin and supervision, education of learning disabled, early childhood education, special ed, ...
Liberal Arts39history, English, Spanish language, political science, economics, creative writing, foreign language and literature, German language, ...
Business And Management24business management, accounting, managerial economics
Music17music performance, voice, piano, music history and theory, various music studies, music theory and composition, music, music management
Therapy And Counseling17psychology, marriage and family therapy, art therapy
Science13biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics
Mathematics12mathematics, mathematics and computer science, applied mathematics
Art Studies6art studies
Fine Arts5art history and criticism, fine arts
Religion And Philosophy4religion
Medical Support And Technology2clinical and medical lab science
Drama And Performing Arts2drama
Design2interior design
Computer Science And Engineering1computer science

Number of programs and degrees for Converse in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Master's degree22523
Bachelor's degree16750
Post-master's certificate285

Converse Student Body

In 2007, Converse had a total enrollment of 1,881 students (1,204 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Women100%
Full-Time100%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate18%
Graduate82%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White73%
Black10%
Hispanic1%
Asian0%
American Indian0%
Unknown14%
(Foreign Students)1%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1914%
20-2113%
22-248%
25-2910%
30-347%
35-395%
40-496%
50-642%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
South Carolina71%
North Carolina8%
Tennessee3%
Georgia3%
Florida2%
Alabama1%
State unknown1%
Texas1%
Pennsylvania1%
Virginia1%
Michigan1%
Illinois1%
Wisconsin1%
Massachusetts1%
Mississippi1%
Washington1%
Louisiana1%
California1%
Ohio1%
Oregon1%
Arizona1%

Converse Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time69 %
Part-Time100 %

Converse Room and Board (2007)

Converse offers campus housing for 589 of its 1,204 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Spartanburg, South Carolina for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other South Carolina Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 21 meals per week.

Converse Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,29974357%15020%
Women1,29974357%15020%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal510610
SAT Math480590
ACT Verbal2027
ACT Math1924
ACT Composite2026

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT78%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT43%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Converse Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 23,344
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 23,344
Room and board$ 7,190
Books and supplies$ 855
Other expenses$ 2,460

Financial Aid:
Converse participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 343100)

Converse Faculty

Converse has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured2224
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1415
Non-tenured and not on tenure track59

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year6$68,5103$65,329
Associate professorcalendar year17$55,25725$51,370
Assistant professorcalendar year14$45,87914$45,899
Instructorcalendar year2*3$23,217
All faculty totalcalendar year39$53,08445$48,721

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Converse Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
BasketballCarolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference
TrackCarolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total04848
Basketball01414
Track066
All Other Sports02828

Converse Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business/Managerial Economics

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

DESIGN
Interior Design

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Art Teacher Education
Curriculum and Instruction
Early Childhood Education and Teaching
Education, General
Education/Teaching Individuals - Hearing Impairments
Education/Teaching Individuals - Specific Learning Disabilities
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Mental Retardation
Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented
Educational Administration and Supervision, Other
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
Music Teacher Education
Secondary Education and Teaching
Special Education and Teaching, General

FINE ARTS
Art History, Criticism and Conservation
Fine/Studio Arts, General

LIBERAL ARTS
Creative Writing
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
French Language and Literature
German Language and Literature
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
History, General
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Applied Mathematics
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics, General

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other

MUSIC
Music History, Literature, and Theory
Music Management and Merchandising
Music Performance, General
Music Theory and Composition
Music, General
Music, Other
Piano and Organ
Voice and Opera

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Art Therapy/Therapist
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
Psychology, General

Converse Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Converse Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of degrees in education and teaching
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Converse % of degrees in education and teaching
Female % of student body
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 3%Converse Female % of student body
% of degrees in music
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Converse % of degrees in music
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%Converse % of degrees in mathematics
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Converse Dorm rooms per full-time student
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Converse Number of degree programs
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Converse % of full-time faculty on tenure track
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Converse Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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