Founded in 1870, Benedict College is a private, co-educational liberal arts institution located in Columbia, SC. Benedict College has produced over 15,000 graduates and currently has over 2,800 students enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs. Benedict was recently named one of the top 100 institutions in the nation graduating African American scholars by Diverse Magazine. The College is a major economic contributor to the region and South Carolina, with a local annual economic impact of $106.7 million. Dr. David Holmes Swinton is the thirteenth president of Benedict College. Since Dr. Swinton's appointment in 1994, the College has experienced a dramatic increase in its enrollment, particularly among male students. As a result of this tremendous growth, Benedict has the second largest undergraduate population of the 20 private institutions in South Carolina, and has become the fourth largest college in The College Fund/UNCF network.

It is the home of the …

• Nationally-ranked, award-winning, Benedict College Gospel Choir
• Honors Debate Team Champions.
• Basketball Team Champions (Men and Women).
• Cross Country Team Champions (Men).

National Academic Accreditations:

• The School of Business and Economics was awarded the initial accreditation of its Business Programs by The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ASBSP) in the 2009-2010 academic years.
• The Benedict College Office of Teacher Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
• The Benedict College Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• The Recreation and Leisure Services Program received accreditation by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA).
• Benedict College became only the 2nd HBCU in the nation and the 1st in South Carolina to receive national accreditation for its Environmental Health Program (EHAC).
• The Child Development Center serves over 70 children and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

National Academic Rankings:

• Benedict College is ranked one of the top ten colleges in the nation in producing African Americans with an undergraduate Physics degree, as reported by the Education and Employment Statistic Division of the American Institute of Physics.
• The Benedict College Debate Team won 1st Place at the National Association of African-Americans Honors Program Conference, October 2005, 2007 and 2009.
• •The Benedict College pioneering Service Learning Program is a national model program and serves over 114 non-profit organizations around the SC Midlands. The program recently won the 6th Annual Commission on Higher Education's Service Learning Competition.

Community Development:

• The Benedict-Allen Community Development Corporation was established to acquire, rehabilitate, resell or lease sub-standard housing and remove blight from surrounding College neighborhoods.
• The Business Development Center (BDC) was opened with the goal to educate and produce minority entrepreneurs. The BDC offers a Revolving Loan Fund to new businesses.
• The Business Development Center recently partnered with the FDIC to implement its Money Smart program that teaches people how to understand credit, personal budgets and assesses the cost and benefits of consumer and home loans.
• A $1.5 million grant was awarded to the Center of Excellence for Education and Equity of African-American Children.
•  In 2007, the Benedict College's Trio Program received $1.6 million through 2011.

Accreditation:

Benedict College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate degrees.  Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4501 for questions about the status of Benedict College.

For more, search the Benedict College site.