Non-Profit Private
Accredited · Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Brevard, North Carolina
39.5% Acceptance Rate
Brevard College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
39.5%Acceptance Rate
3.07Avg GPA
1064Avg SAT
21Avg ACT
$45,413Annual Cost
$43,545Grad Salary
37.7%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
39.5%
Avg GPA
3.07
Avg SAT
1064
Avg ACT
21
Selectivity
Selective
Institution Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
SAT Middle 50%
870–1220
ACT Middle 50%
16–26
Need-Based Aid
37.7% receive Pell
Brevard College, founded in 1853 in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, is a small liberal arts college known for its experiential learning approach. The college's 120-acre campus serves as a living laboratory for its strong environmental studies program, while nearby Pisgah National Forest provides outdoor education opportunities. Brevard's distinctive 'Experiential Education' requirement ensures all students complete internships, research, or creative projects. The college excels in music (with connections to the Brevard Music Center) and wilderness leadership, while maintaining strong programs across the liberal arts. With a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and average class size of 12, Brevard fosters close mentorship and hands-on learning. Recent initiatives include expansion of outdoor programs and sustainability efforts, reflecting the college's commitment to preparing students for meaningful lives through engaged scholarship in a spectacular natural setting.
Brevard College Acceptance Rate
Brevard College is a well-known institution. It has a selective admission process. The acceptance rate of Brevard College is 39.5%. This means that 40 out of every 100 applicants get admitted.
Admissions Guidelines
- Selective Enrollment: Applicants need a solid GPA and proof of academic growth.
- Holistic Balance: Strong recommendations and community involvement are highly valued.
Selectivity at a Glance
Selective
Selectivity scale: Selective — 39.5% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
If your GPA is slightly below the institutional average, you can remain competitive by scoring well on standardized tests and showcasing leadership in co-curricular activities.
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.07 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
2.87 – 3.06
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 2.62
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Brevard College GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at Brevard College is 3.07. This suggests moderate selectivity.
A mix of A's, B's, and some C's is common. Higher SAT/ACT scores can compensate for a lower GPA.
Note: This is an unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students with AP or IB courses will typically have a weighted GPA of 3.27-3.47 for this same academic profile.If your GPA is between 2.77 and 3.07, aim for a strong standardized test score.
Brevard College GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Holistic review is critical for admission.
Recommended Strategy: Requires Contextual Factors (Leadership, hardship, or talent).
Admissions at Brevard College utilize a Holistic Review process. With an average admitted GPA of 3.07, the following table illustrates how your specific academic profile aligns with institutional expectations.
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.07 – 4.00
Strategic Reach
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
2.87 – 3.06
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
2.67 – 2.86
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 2.66
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Expert Insight: 2026 Evaluation Metrics
- Acceptance rate ~40% (IPEDS); free application; test-optional (essay required, either supplemental statement or SAT/ACT if submitted); no application deadline published; SACSCOC accredited; NASAD-accredited music; United Methodist affiliated, founded 1853.
- Outdoor Leadership & Experiential Education BA (concentrations: Public Land, Outdoor Industry) uses Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Forest, and Atlantic coast sites as live classrooms; partnership with the Pisgah Forest Institute; NC Community College System articulation agreement for transfer students.
- Campus is in Brevard, NC (~35 miles from Asheville), walking distance to downtown; white squirrel population inhabits campus (Brevard is famous for its white squirrels); 11:1 student-faculty ratio; ~820 total undergraduates.
- Master's programs in Education and Music offered; transfer students need minimum 2.0 GPA; DSST/DANTES and CLEP credits accepted; transfer students with fewer than 15 transferable hours may need SAT/ACT; Brevard Music Center is a separate summer institution in the same town - not affiliated with Brevard College.
- The Rigor Metric: At Brevard College, a slightly lower GPA (e.g., 3.8) in a transcript featuring multiple AP or IB courses is often prioritized over a 4.0 in a standard curriculum.
- The Upward Trend: If your early high school grades were lower, an upward trajectory in 11th and 12th grade demonstrates Academic Resilience.
Data Source: Verified via IPEDS and latest Common Data Set (CDS). Reviewed by our academic board led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Brevard College
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Brevard College's verified institutional data
--%
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.
Brevard College Test Requirements
In this competitive environment, standardized scores are no longer elective; they serve as a critical standardized benchmark to validate high school GPA and course rigor. Applicants should aim for scores within or above the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class to remain viable in the Holistic Review process. At institutions that remain test-optional, submitting a high-percentile score is still the primary strategy for securing merit-based scholarships and distinguishing one's profile in a high-volume applicant pool.
Can I Get Into Brevard College Without SAT or ACT?
Brevard College considers admission test scores (SAT/ACT) during the application process but does not require them. Although it is not strictly a requirement, the test scores are considered for admission decisions. Hence, it is advisable to prepare well for the test and submit the best scores. Normally, students may appear in the test 2 to 3 times to improve their scores.
Brevard College Average SAT Score: 1064
The average SAT score of the admitted students at Brevard College is 1064 on the 1600 SAT scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1064 — Accessible
This score makes it an easy target for SAT test scores. You need to put average efforts to score 1064 on the SAT.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1220 SAT or 26 ACT) to stand out. If your scores are below average, consider retaking the test. Brevard College allows Score Choice for the SAT and Superscoring for the ACT, giving you flexibility to submit your best scores.
If your score is below 870, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at Brevard College. Retaking the test multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants take the SAT two or three times to achieve their best score. There is no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 515 | 430 | 600 |
| SAT Reading | 530 | 440 | 620 |
| SAT Composite | 1064 | 870 | 1220 |
It means that if you have scored less than 870 then you are below most of the admitted students at Brevard College and your chances of admission are very few. But if you have scored 1220 or more, your chances of admission are higher. 25th percentile means that only 25% of the admitted students have fewer scores than this score. 75th percentile marks the score of the upper 25% of the students.
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1050
Can I get into Brevard College with a 1200 SAT?
With a 1200 SAT Score, your chances of admission at Brevard College are good but the admission staff at Brevard College tests your all-around personality and your academics. Your GPA, Class performance, SAT/ACT/Test scores, and AP or IB Courses can help your application stand out. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and interpersonal communication skills are very important. Additionally, if you cannot perform well in one area, you have a chance to showcase your strengths and abilities in other areas, improving other areas will help you secure admission. You need to show better performance in all areas. An equally high GPA, taking IB or AP Courses and your role in leadership activities will increase your chances of admission. However, if you equally compete well in all other areas, your chances of admission are high.
Brevard College ACT Requirements
The average ACT Score at Brevard College is 21.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 21 — Less Competitive
This score makes Brevard College less competitive for ACT scores. You need to put average efforts to score 21 on the ACT.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 21 | 15 | 26 |
| ACT English | 21 | 16 | 25 |
| ACT Composite | 21 | 16 | 26 |
Can I get into Brevard College with a 26 ACT?
A 26 ACT places you at the 75th percentile of admitted students at Brevard College — meaning you score higher than 75% of students who were accepted. This is a strong position, but the ACT is just one dimension of your application. Admissions officers at Brevard College use the ACT as a benchmark to validate your academic readiness, not as a standalone admission ticket.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT measures four distinct subject areas — English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science — each scored on a 1–36 scale. If one of your section scores is significantly lower than the others, admissions staff will notice the imbalance. For example, a weak ACT Science score at a STEM-focused institution carries more weight than the same weakness at a liberal arts college. It is worth reviewing your section-level scores and addressing any outliers before applying.
One important advantage the ACT has over the SAT is that Brevard College — like most US universities — accepts Superscoring for the ACT, meaning they take your highest section scores across multiple test attempts and combine them into a new composite. If you have taken the ACT more than once, confirm whether Brevard College uses Superscoring, as this could meaningfully improve your effective composite beyond what any single sitting shows.
Beyond your score, what ultimately determines admission at this level is the strength of your overall profile. Your unweighted GPA, course rigor (AP, IB, or dual enrollment), extracurricular depth, letters of recommendation, and personal essays all carry significant weight. A 26 ACT gets your application through the first filter — but your essays and activities are what move it forward from there.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Brevard College
Selective Strategy: Competitive Positioning
At Brevard College, admissions officers seek reliable, high-achieving students. The goal is to be a top-tier applicant to trigger both admission and high-value merit aid.
Complete the Application Essay - It's Required, Not Optional
Brevard's application is free and uses a test-optional policy, but the essay question built into the application form is a required component. Students who skim past it or submit a thin response miss a meaningful opportunity: with an acceptance rate of approximately 40%, Brevard is more selective than its profile as a small Methodist liberal arts college might suggest, and the essay is where the holistic review takes shape. The Outdoor Leadership, music, and experiential education programs in particular draw students with defined passions - admissions readers are looking for evidence of genuine engagement with place, outdoors, or the arts, not generic liberal arts enthusiasm. If test-optional, the essay carries even more weight as the only written self-representation in the file.
If Outdoor Leadership Is Your Direction, Treat the Pisgah Ecosystem as Your Classroom
Brevard's BA in Outdoor Leadership and Experiential Education is one of a small number of programs in the U.S. that places students physically in the landscape they study: courses run on local rivers, at Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest, on the bike trails of DuPont State Forest, and at the Atlantic coast. The two concentrations - Public Land and Outdoor Industry - align to careers in land management agencies and the commercial outdoor industry respectively. If this program is your target, campus visits serve double duty: you see the college and access the trails. Mention specific landscape features, forest partnerships, or local organizations in your essay rather than generic "I love the outdoors" framing - it signals you've done the research.
Music Students: Distinguish Brevard College from the Brevard Music Center
Brevard, North Carolina hosts two nationally known music institutions that are entirely separate: Brevard College (the four-year liberal arts school, NASAD-accredited) and the Brevard Music Center (a summer training program and festival, one of the country's premier classical music institutes). They share a town and overlap in reputation but have completely different applications, student bodies, and purposes. Brevard College music students pursue degree programs year-round at the college; Brevard Music Center is a summer-only program. Students who conflate them in their application materials, letters of intent, or campus visit conversations signal unfamiliarity with where they're actually applying - clarify which institution you mean in every document.
Use the Methodist Affiliation Carefully - It's Structural, Not Prescriptive
Brevard is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, but the affiliation is institutional rather than doctrinal - the campus welcomes students of all backgrounds and does not impose a religious curriculum requirement the way some faith-affiliated schools do. What the affiliation does shape is the college's commitment to service, community, and ethical formation as complementary to academic learning. Students who research and acknowledge this mission in their application (rather than ignoring the affiliation or treating it as irrelevant) demonstrate a more complete understanding of the institution. The Experiential Learning Commons and community partnership programs are concrete expressions of this ethic that can be referenced specifically.
Expert Insight:
Brevard's acceptance rate of approximately 40% is significantly lower than many students researching small Methodist liberal arts colleges expect - it's more selective than comparable institutions in the region. But the yield rate is also low (around 23?24%), meaning admitted students often have other options and use Brevard as one choice among several. Students who view it as a safety school and don't engage seriously with the application essay or campus visit often get the outcome they expect. Conversely, students who treat it as a genuine target and research its outdoor, music, and experiential programs in depth receive admission at a rate that reflects the holistic process.
Brevard College Profile
Full Name
Brevard College
City
Brevard
State
North Carolina
ZIP Code
28712
Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)
Is a Brevard College Degree Worth It?
Getting into Brevard College can be a great opportunity for many students. It is a prestigious institution known for its strong programs. However, whether it is worth it depends on your personal and academic goals, as well as your financial situation. Brevard College offers a rigorous academic environment and access to cutting-edge research, but it may not be the best fit for everyone. It's important to consider factors such as cost, location, and specific academic programs when making this decision.
Please note that the average household income of the admitted students at Brevard College is $60,500 and the graduate unemployment rate is 2.99%.
How much does a degree from Brevard College Cost?
The average annual cost of the degree at Brevard College is $45,413. As most of the students receive Pell Grants and Federal Grants the average annual net price a student has to pay at Brevard College is much less than this.
37.7% of the students are receiving Pell Grant and 70.5 percent are receiving Federal Grants. So it is a better choice to go to Brevard College and apply for PELL or federal loan grants.
At Brevard College, you will have no problem receiving any scholarship from the federal government. Fill in the FAFSA application form at the earliest and enlist Brevard College as your choice in the form.
How much does a Brevard College Graduate earn?
The average annual salary of the graduate after 4–6 years of graduation is $43,545. An average Brevard College graduate makes this much after 10 years of enrollment (4–6 years after graduation).
The average annual income of a graduate in the United States is $40,595.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Brevard 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 Brevard 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 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | 1070 | 23 |
| Florida College | Temple Terrace, FL | 1068 | 19 |
| Point University | West Point, GA | 1059 | 19 |
| Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA | 1057 | 21 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Brevard College. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | 1119 | 23 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | 1121 | 22 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ | 1095 | 22 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, AR | 1119 | 22 |
| University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR | 1117 | 22 |
Degree Programs at Brevard College
Bachelor Degree Programs
UG Certificate or Diploma Programs
Full list of all degree programs offered by Brevard College →
Frequently Asked Questions About Brevard College Admissions
Graduates of this university typically earn a lower salary, $43,545 annually, especially in non-technical fields.
The tuition fee at this university is moderate, around $45,413 per year. Many students seek financial aid and scholarships to manage the cost.
37.7% of students receive a Pell Grant at this institution. Your chances of need-based aid are moderate and depend primarily on your household income. Filing FAFSA early significantly improves your chances of receiving the maximum available grant amount.
The acceptance rate of Brevard College is 39.5% which is relatively high, above 20%, making it somewhat easier to gain admission compared to other top-tier universities.
The average GPA of admitted students is 3.07. This reflects the competitive academic profile expected from applicants.
While there is no single cutoff that guarantees a rejection, admission staff uses your GPA to determine if you are a best fit. If you have at least a 2.77, you are in the standard pool. If you are below a 2.77, we need to focus on your personal essay and letters of recommendation to explain the context behind your grades.
If your GPA is 2.67 or less, it may make admission difficult. However, your chances may improve if you have strong test scores, extracurricular activities, and essays. But this does not mean that you must not apply, or you do not have any chances. With additional AP courses, you can increase your chances even with this GPA.
While the average GPA of admitted students is 3.07, applicants with lower GPAs can still be considered if they have strong test scores, extracurriculars, and compelling personal essays that demonstrate resilience and potential.
Admission to Brevard College is based on SAT, and a strong SAT score is essential. Aim for scores above 1064 for the best chances, although the overall application strength also matters. Your SAT must be in the range of 870–1220.
Yes, many students successfully transfer each year. Be prepared with your academic transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement to make your application competitive.
To improve your chances, focus on excelling academically, building a strong extracurricular profile, and submitting standout essays. High SAT/ACT scores are also crucial for competitive admissions.
Explore Other Options
Acceptance Rate of all North Carolina Colleges
Average SAT Score of North Carolina Colleges
Average ACT Score
Highest Acceptance Rate in North Carolina
Bachelor Programs in North Carolina
Test Optional Colleges in North Carolina
SAT Score Wise Best Colleges
ACT Score Wise Best Colleges
Best High Schools in North Carolina