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 2007-2008 had SAT verbal scores of at least 470. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 470 and 593.

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 2007-2008). A very high share of students at Converse are female.

Student Life

The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. Converse offers students meal plans. The school 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 (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Education And Teaching248elementary school teaching, gifted and talended education, secondary teaching, educational administration, early childhood education, educational admin and supervision, special ed, education of learning disabled, ...
Liberal Arts41history, English, political science, creative writing, Spanish language, French language, foreign language and literature, economics, ...
Therapy And Counseling28psychology, marriage and family therapy, art therapy
Music20music performance, piano, music history and theory, music, various music studies, music theory and composition, voice, music management
Science18biology, biochemistry, chemistry
Business And Management18business management, accounting
Art Studies8art studies
Design8interior design
Fine Arts7fine arts, art history and criticism
Mathematics5mathematics, mathematics and computer science
Computer Science And Engineering1computer science
Drama And Performing Arts1drama
Medical Support And Technology0clinical and medical lab science
Religion And Philosophy0religion

Number of programs and degrees for Converse in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Master's degree20822
Bachelor's degree17144
Post-master's certificate244

Converse Student Body

In 2007-2008, Converse had a total enrollment of 1,881 students (1,514 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men0%
Women100%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate20%
Graduate80%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White74%
Black11%
Hispanic1%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown13%
(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 1,514 (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

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total1,15371762%19026%
Women1,15371762%19026%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal470600
SAT Math470593
ACT Verbal2028
ACT Math1826
ACT Composite2026

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT82%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT42%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Converse Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 24,500
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 24,500
Room and board$ 7,550
Books and supplies$ 900
Other expenses$ 2,650

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.

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year8$67,5355$65,959
Associate professorcalendar year16$55,94124$51,726
Assistant professorcalendar year13$47,93215$47,550
Instructorcalendar year1*1*
All faculty totalcalendar year38$55,05045$51,552

*: 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

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/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
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School 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
Political Science and Government, General
Spanish Language and Literature

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

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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