Furman University, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. It has a historical affiliation with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, though formal ties with the church were severed in 1992. The university provides undergraduate studies in business, education, humanities, religion, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, and other areas. It also offers master’s degree programs in education and chemistry. Total enrollment is approximately 2,700.
The university was founded in 1826 and named for Richard Furman, president of the first Baptist Convention in the United States. It was first located in Edgefield and at that time was known as Furman Academy and Theological Institution. Furman moved twice before finally settling in Greenville in 1851. The previous year it had received its charter as Furman University. The theological school separated from the university in 1858 and became the Southern Baptist Seminary (located in Louisville, Kentucky, since 1877). The university operated a law school in the 1920s. The Woman’s College, which had been coordinated with the university since 1933, was closed in 1961 when Furman adopted a coeducational policy.