
Greenville University is a private Christian institution in Greenville, Illinois, founded in 1892 as Greenville College. Its historical connection to the Free Methodist Church remains part of its identity.
The college adopted the Greenville University name in 2017. The change reflected an institution offering graduate study and programs for students beyond the traditional residential undergraduate population. For applicants, that history helps explain why Greenville combines a small-campus experience with online and other nontraditional study options.
Greenville University offers undergraduate and graduate programs across the liberal arts, sciences, education, business, and professional fields. Its academic offerings include subjects such as biology, psychology, music, business administration, and teacher education.
Program choice matters more than a broad institutional label. An applicant considering teaching, for example, should examine the specific licensure pathway and its clinical requirements; a student considering business or the sciences should compare the courses, experiential opportunities, and credential awarded. Greenville also awards credit through some mechanisms beyond conventional coursework, including Advanced Placement and certain prior-learning assessments, subject to its evaluation rules.
The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. That describes enrollment relative to instructional faculty, not a guarantee that every class has 12 students or that every course is offered each term.
Greenville University's main campus is in Greenville, a small city in Bond County, Illinois, east of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Students should expect a small-town setting rather than an urban campus.
The location can affect daily planning. Residential students may find campus activities central to their routine, while commuters should account for travel and parking. First-year students are permitted to register or park a car on campus. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is a regional air-travel option, though reaching it requires ground transportation.
Greenville University describes its educational mission in explicitly Christian terms, emphasizing character, service, and a Christ-centered education. Its Free Methodist heritage is therefore relevant to the academic and campus experience.
Those are institutional aims, not independently measured outcomes for every student. Applicants who want to understand how the mission affects their own experience should review current requirements for general education, chapel or other campus programming, and their intended major. A prospective student need not infer a particular personal religious commitment from the university's affiliation alone; admissions and student-life policies are the appropriate places to check participation expectations.
Name of the institution
Greenville UniversityLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Town: DistantInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Religious affiliation
Protestant (Free Methodist Church of North America)School type
Upper-level higher education institution with graduate programsMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1892Greenville University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Bachelor's degree
Master's degreeData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.