Private nonprofit · College

Covenant College

Lookout Mountain, Georgia · Large suburb

#5 graduation rate in Georgia
86.5%
Admit rate
$26,265
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$50,412
Median earnings

Covenant College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lookout Mountain, Georgia (large suburb setting), enrolling 939 undergraduates. It has a The Presbyterian Church in America religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 939 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Covenant College's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1160–1380
Avg GPA (est.)
3.60

Enter a test score to see where you land against Covenant College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Covenant College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Lookout Mountain is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. Bordering its sister town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Lookout Mountain is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan statistical area. The city is located on Lookout Mountain, home to such attractions as Rock City. This city is often named as home to Covenant College, but the college is actually across the county line in Dade County. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
309 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)

How Covenant College compares

Selectivity86.5%

More selective than 32% · #32 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1294

Higher than 79%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 81% · #5 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention88%

Higher than 83%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,412

Higher than 40% · #16 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$26,265

Cheaper than 26% · #44 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$22,500

Lower than 56%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment939

Larger than 36%

Percentiles compare Covenant College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

952students
  • Undergraduate93999%
  • Graduate131%

Undergraduates by gender

939undergrads
  • Women45749%
  • Men48251%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White85%
  • Black1.4%
  • Hispanic4.2%
  • Asian3.2%
  • Other or multiracial6.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
939
Graduate enrollment
13
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$78,999
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$76,995
Endowment
$64,939,767

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 246 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Georgia35%
  • Other U.S. states63%
  • International2.4%

A national draw — only 35% of first-years come from Georgia; 63% arrive from other states.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1160–1380
SAT average
1294
SAT reading
600–710
SAT math
560–670
ACT composite
23–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.60

Cost

In-state tuition
$42,040
Room & board
$12,754
Books & supplies
$1,170
Total cost of attendance
$57,467
Average net price
$26,265

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
65%
First-year retention
88%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,570
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,412
Median debt at graduation
$22,500
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
79%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
65%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
45%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
902
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
96%
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
250 (149 men · 101 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Baseball52
Soccer51
Basketball33
Track and Field (Outdoor)28
Cross Country22
Tennis18
Softball17
Volleyball17
Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
8.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
23

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,100 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

9.0reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year7.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,310
$30–48k
$15,929
$48–75k
$24,606
$75–110k
$24,836
$110k+
$30,172

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$101,950

$24,606/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$25,235
average award, among those who get one

Covenant College discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,235. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 238 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$50,412
Typical debt at graduation
$22,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$45,215
Men
$60,173

Men out-earn women by $14,958 (33%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
58.6″
Annual snow
0.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lookout Mtn-Point Park, TN US station (3.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Covenant College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Covenant College side by side →

Colleges near Covenant College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.