Skip to content
AlmaSpire

Charlotte, NC · Private · 1,184 undergraduates · urban

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Less selective

Its culinary and hospitality programs are embedded in a major tourism, sports, and corporate market, making location part of the academic offer.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Solid in mobility, and emerging in career outcomes.
Academic Emerging Affordability Emerging Career Emerging Mobility Solid Experience Emerging
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Solid
Student experience Emerging
Admission
75.3% admitted

4,677 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
53.7%

$43,418 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte apart

Academic design

Programs emphasize applied projects, labs, industry-informed coursework, internships, and career preparation rather than a purely theoretical undergraduate model.

Campus pattern

The Uptown Charlotte location gives students immediate access to restaurants, hotels, sports, finance, events, and employers, with a more urban than traditional-campus feel.

Defining feature

Its culinary and hospitality programs are embedded in a major tourism, sports, and corporate market, making location part of the academic offer.

Can I get in?

75.3% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

4,677

About 75 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 75.3%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%920–1140
7801280
ACT middle 50%16–22
1226

Of admitted students, 9% submitted an SAT, and 8% submitted an ACT. Almost nobody admitted here sent a score, which leaves the SAT and ACT ranges standing on a handful of files.

Academic benchmarkLess selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Programs emphasize applied projects, labs, industry-informed coursework, internships, and career preparation rather than a purely theoretical undergraduate model.

02

Make the fit specific

Its culinary and hospitality programs are embedded in a major tourism, sports, and corporate market, making location part of the academic offer.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Early ActionNov 1
Early Action IIJan 3
Regular DecisionMar 1
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$64,480
Average annual cost after aid$27,000
Affordability profileEmerging

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Its culinary and hospitality programs are embedded in a major tourism, sports, and corporate market, making location part of the academic offer.

Complete within 8 years53.7%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one68%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$43,418

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services

Recent graduates51
Median earnings$50,571

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations

Recent graduates22
Median earnings$47,042

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates19
Median earnings$59,186

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management

Recent graduates15
Median earnings$56,241

Hospitality Administration/Management

Recent graduates8
Median earnings$55,790

What is campus life like?

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte beyond the classroom

The Uptown Charlotte location gives students immediate access to restaurants, hotels, sports, finance, events, and employers, with a more urban than traditional-campus feel.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Programs emphasize applied projects, labs, industry-informed coursework, internships, and career preparation rather than a purely theoretical undergraduate model.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Uptown Charlotte location gives students immediate access to restaurants, hotels, sports, finance, events, and employers, with a more urban than traditional-campus feel.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

Its culinary and hospitality programs are embedded in a major tourism, sports, and corporate market, making location part of the academic offer.

1,184 undergraduatesSoutheasturban settingCampus housing available