Non-Profit Private
Accredited · Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Wilson, North Carolina
95.9% Acceptance Rate
Barton College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
95.9%Acceptance Rate
3.25Avg GPA
1060Avg SAT
$48,055Annual Cost
$47,913Grad Salary
36.9%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
95.9%
Avg GPA
3.25
Avg SAT
1060
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
SAT Middle 50%
1020–1090
Need-Based Aid
36.9% receive Pell
Barton College is a private, liberal arts institution in North Carolina that emphasizes a personalized, student-centered education with a focus on career preparation and character development. Admissions are holistic, evaluating students on their academic record, character, and their readiness to thrive in a supportive community. The college seeks individuals who are looking for a high-quality education that integrates professional preparation with a solid, values-oriented foundation.
Applicants should highlight their history of participation in school or community extracurriculars, as these reflect the college's mission-focused and service-oriented culture. Demonstrating a clear approach to one's future career plans and explaining how a values-centered education will facilitate those goals is a strong way to impress the admissions committee. The college looks for students who will contribute to its supportive, community-oriented campus environment and who have a track record of being responsible and engaged members of their high school or local community.
Barton College Acceptance Rate
Admission at Barton College is inclusive by design: 95.9% of applicants who meet basic eligibility are accepted.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 95.9% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.25 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.05 – 3.24
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 2.80
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
Barton College Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
Barton College follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline.
Key Admission Dates
Rolling Admissions — Apply Anytime
Barton College reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Barton College GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at Barton College is 3.25. That makes admissions here competitive, but not extremely selective. Most admitted students carry a mix of A's and B's.
In the 2.95–3.25 range, a high SAT or ACT score still carries real weight.
Note the scale: this figure reflects an unweighted 4.0 GPA. Add AP or IB coursework and the equivalent weighted GPA usually lands around 3.45–3.65.Barton College GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Admission here leans heavily on holistic review.
Recommended Strategy: Leans on context — leadership, personal circumstances, or a standout talent.
This range is a rough map — where you land determines what else needs to carry weight in your application:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.25 – 4.00
Strategic Reach
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.05 – 3.24
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
2.85 – 3.04
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 2.84
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- No personal essay, letter of recommendation, or application fee required for first-year admission; SAT/ACT test-optional and the writing/essay sections are never considered
- Admission to Barton does not guarantee admission to nursing (2.9 GPA), education (2.50 GPA), or social work (2.00 GPA) majors - these are separate, non-automatic gates
- Wilson Medical Fellows Program (with Wilson Medical Center) offers selected nursing juniors/seniors tuition support and a guaranteed 2-year post-NCLEX job placement
- NCAA Division II football was reinstated in 2018 after a 67-year absence - part of a broader campus growth push worth knowing if athletics/campus culture come up in interviews or essays
- Rigor Over Raw Number: Course rigor is read alongside the number itself — a 3.8 with a demanding schedule can beat a 4.0 without one.
- Trajectory Matters: Grades that climb toward graduation tend to matter more than a flat average — the trajectory tells its own story.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Barton College
Admission Chance Predictor
Built from Barton College's own verified admissions data — adjust the sliders below
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Barton College Test Requirements
Scores aren't just a formality at Barton College — landing within or above the 2026 admitted class's middle 50% keeps you fully competitive, even where submission is optional.
Can I Get Into Barton College Without SAT or ACT?
Barton College considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt — most applicants test 2–3 times.
Barton College Average SAT Score: 1060
Admitted students at Barton College average a 1060 SAT (out of 1600).
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1060 — Accessible
A 1060 average means even a modest SAT score can strengthen your application.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1090 SAT) to stand out. Below average? Barton College allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
Scored under 1020? A retake is worth it at Barton College — two or three sittings is standard for competitive applicants, and there's no cap on how many times you can test.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | - | - | - |
| SAT Reading | - | - | - |
| SAT Composite | 1060 | 1020 | 1090 |
A score under 1020 puts you in the lower quarter of admits; 1090+ puts you ahead of three-quarters of the admitted class. (These percentiles mark where a given share of the admitted class scored at or below.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1050
Can I get into Barton College with a 1100 SAT?
At 1100, your SAT is squarely in Barton College's favor. That said, admissions staff read the full file — GPA, activities, and essays still carry real weight even with a strong score in hand.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Barton College
Inclusive Strategy: Success & Transfer
Getting into Barton College is the easy part — what matters next is using placement testing, advising, and available resources to set up a strong first year.
Understand the two-gate structure before you enroll
Admission to Barton does not equal admission to its professional majors. Nursing requires a separate 2.9 GPA gate, education requires 2.50, and social work requires 2.00 - and Barton states plainly that clearing the number "does not guarantee" acceptance into the major. Treat your first two semesters as the real audition: front-load the specific gateway courses for your intended major and monitor your major-specific GPA separately from your overall GPA, since a strong overall transcript can still mask a weak major-relevant one.
Use the low-friction application as an opportunity, not an excuse to coast
Barton requires no personal essay, no letter of recommendation, and no application fee for first-year applicants, and doesn't consider the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section at all. That means almost nobody submits extra material - so a short, voluntary note to admissions about your intended major (especially nursing, given its separate GPA gate) or an optional supplementary writing sample can make a disproportionate impression precisely because so few applicants bother in a pool where most files look identical.
Target the Wilson Medical Fellows Program by name, early
Barton's partnership with Wilson Medical Center selects nursing students for a Fellows track that provides tuition support during junior and senior year plus a guaranteed two-year job placement at Wilson Medical Center after passing the NCLEX. This is a named, competitive internal selection layered on top of general nursing-major admission - students should ask their nursing advisor about Fellows eligibility as soon as they're admitted to the major, not wait until senior year when placement decisions are already final.
Apply to the Honors Program the moment you're admitted
Barton's Honors Program requires a separate application with three short essays (academics, service, culture) connecting past experience to future goals - and in past cycles, seats filled fast enough to generate a waitlist. Don't treat this as a "later" decision once you're settled on campus; submit the Honors application in the same window as your general admission decision, since waiting even one semester can mean landing on a waitlist instead of in the cohort.
Expert Insight:
A recurring, avoidable failure is students who read Barton's easy front-door (no essay, no recommendation letter, ~94-96% acceptance rate) as a signal that professional programs are equally easy, coast academically in gen-ed courses their first year, and then discover the 2.9 nursing GPA gate - or a full Wilson Medical Fellows cohort - has already closed them out of the path they came to Barton for.
Barton College Profile
Full Name
Barton College
City
Wilson
State
North Carolina
ZIP Code
27893-7000
Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)
Is a Barton College Degree Worth It?
Whether Barton College is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals — here's the data to weigh it against.
Admitted students' families report a median household income around $54,800, and graduates see a 3.65% unemployment rate.
How much does a degree from Barton College Cost?
Listed tuition runs $48,055/year at Barton College; factor in Pell and federal grant aid and most students land typically much lower.
At Barton College, 36.9% receive a Pell Grant and 65.4% carry federal loans. Filing FAFSA early and naming Barton College on it improves your shot at both.
How much does a Barton College Graduate earn?
Ten years out from enrollment, Barton College graduates report a median income of $47,913, about 18% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Barton College. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faulkner University | Montgomery, AL | 1016 | 20 |
| University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL | 1015 | 20 |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion, AL | 1043 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR | 1049 | 21 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Central Baptist College | Conway, AR | 1022 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton | Morrilton, AR | 1020 | 20 |
| Williams Baptist University | Walnut Ridge, AR | 1018 | 19 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR | 1050 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas-Fort Smith | Fort Smith, AR | 1050 | 21 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Barton College. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, AL | 1055 | 21 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR | 1050 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas-Fort Smith | Fort Smith, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | 1070 | 23 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Barton College. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery, AL | 1090 | 21 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | 1119 | 23 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL | 1090 | 22 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | 1121 | 22 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ | 1095 | 22 |
Degree Programs at Barton College
Bachelor Degree Programs
Masters Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About Barton College Admissions
Barton College graduates earn a lower median salary of $47,913/year, especially outside technical fields.
Tuition at Barton College is moderate, around $48,055/year; many students supplement with aid.
36.9% of Barton College students get a Pell Grant. Your odds depend mostly on household income — filing FAFSA early still helps maximize what you're offered.
Barton College's acceptance rate is 95.9%, comparatively higher than most selective universities — admission is more attainable here.
The average GPA of admitted Barton College students is 3.25, reflecting a competitive applicant pool.
There's no strict cutoff, but a GPA at or above 2.95 puts you in the standard applicant pool at Barton College. Below that, your essays and recommendations need to work harder to provide context.
A GPA of 2.85 or below makes admission tougher at Barton College, but strong test scores, activities, and essays — plus AP/IB coursework — can still keep you in contention.
Barton College weighs the SAT heavily. Scoring above 1060, and within the 1020–1090 range, keeps you competitive.
Barton College follows Rolling Admissions — applications are reviewed year-round, so applying early is your best strategy.
Transferring in is a well-trodden path here. Line up your transcripts, recommendations, and a strong personal statement before applying.
The biggest levers are academic performance, a clear extracurricular focus, and essays that stand out — plus a solid test score where the school considers one.
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