Professional Credentialing
Actuarial Science is offered through the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the Webb School of Engineering. High Point University’s SACSCOC accreditation includes the degree.
Actuaries earn their credentials by examination. The Society of Actuaries (SOA) sets the standard, and candidates qualify by passing a sequence of professional exams.
Built Around the SOA Exams
Coursework prepares students to sit Exam P in probability and Exam FM in financial mathematics, and satisfies the SOA Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) requirements in corporate finance, microeconomics, macroeconomics and applied statistics. Students who pass both before graduating enter the profession with the first two exams behind them.
University Accreditation
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been continuously accredited since 1951. SACSCOC accredits HPU to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. SACSCOC has granted HPU Level V status, which authorizes a university to award doctoral degrees.
A Program in the Webb School of Engineering
The Webb School of Engineering holds ABET accreditation for three Bachelor of Science programs. In October 2025, Computer Science was accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, and Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering by the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
Founding dean Dr. Michael Oudshoorn has served as an ABET volunteer since 2004, is serving his second six-year term as an ABET commissioner and was elected to the commission’s executive committee in 2018.
Departmental Honors in Actuarial Science
Actuarial Science majors can graduate with departmental honors by completing the B.S. requirements, passing both Society of Actuaries exams, Exam P and Exam FM, and holding a major GPA of 3.5 or higher at graduation.
Student Research Honors
In 2026, sophomore Jake Ankrum, a biochemistry and physics major, was one of 454 students nationwide named a Barry Goldwater Scholar.
Recognition for Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research named High Point University the recipient of its 2025 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments, judged against CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
High Point University Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2027 ranks High Point University #1 for Most Innovative Schools and #3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities in the South. HPU also ranks #1 in its category for Earnings by Major, a new U.S. News factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
The Princeton Review’s Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition ranks High Point University #3 for Best-Run Colleges, #3 for Best College Dorms and #3 for Most Beautiful Campus. HPU is the only university in North Carolina ranked in the top 5 for all three.
Niche’s 2027 rankings place High Point University #1 in North Carolina for Best College Campuses, Best College Dorms and Best College Food, and #8 in North Carolina for Colleges with the Best Professors.
Measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers standards, 99% of HPU’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days, 13 points above the national average.
Actuarial Science Graduates in Finance and Insurance
Actuarial Science graduates of High Point University move into insurance, banking and corporate finance. Brekk Hayward received three job offers in one week and became a property and casualty actuarial analyst at Milliman. Emmy Pearl joined the BB&T leadership program. Melanie Fichialos became a financial analyst at TE Connectivity. Students also prepare for Society of Actuaries exams while they complete the major. James Ensor, who majored in business administration and actuarial science, became a financial analyst at Cone Health.
“But High Point has prepared me for so many other things in life.”
Hayward, Actuarial Analyst, Milliman
Course requirements are in the HPU undergraduate bulletin. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics profiles actuaries. Students often add data analytics and statistics or mathematics in the Webb School of Engineering.
Explore Actuarial Science at High Point University
See the courses actuarial science majors take and where HPU graduates go next.
Curriculum & Research Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Jenny Sharpe at [email protected].