Private nonprofit · College

Rhodes College

Memphis, Tennessee · Large city

#2 graduation rate in Tennessee#3 for grad earnings in Tennessee
50.3%
Admit rate
$28,585
Avg net price
85%
Graduation rate
$66,651
Median earnings

Rhodes College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Memphis, Tennessee (large city setting), enrolling 1,836 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,836 undergradsLarge citySelective · 50% admitNCAA Division III with football · Southern Athletic Asssociation

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
50.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1300–1486
Avg GPA (est.)
3.79

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

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

About Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Occupying a substantial bluff rising from the Mississippi River, the site of Memphis has been a natural location for human settlement by varying indigenous cultures over thousands of years. One of the largest celebrations of the city is Memphis in May. The month-long series of events promotes Memphis's heritage and outreach of its people far beyond the city's borders. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Memphis, TN
To the ocean
326 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Memphis (MEM) · major hub

How Rhodes College compares

Selectivity50.3%

More selective than 84% · #6 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1362

Higher than 86%

Graduation rate85%

Higher than 92% · #2 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention92%

Higher than 89%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$66,651

Higher than 80% · #3 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$28,585

Cheaper than 19% · #40 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$21,761

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment1,836

Larger than 55%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,859students
  • Undergraduate1,83699%
  • Graduate231%

Undergraduates by gender

1,836undergrads
  • Women99654%
  • Men84046%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black9.4%
  • Hispanic7.5%
  • Asian8.8%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,836
Graduate enrollment
23
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$108,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,329
Endowment
$431,583,452

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 483 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee36%
  • Other U.S. states59%
  • International4.8%

A national draw — only 36% of first-years come from Tennessee; 59% arrive from other states.

5% 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
50.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1300–1486
SAT average
1362
SAT reading
650–733
SAT math
650–753
ACT composite
26–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.79

Cost

In-state tuition
$57,110
Room & board
$13,620
Books & supplies
$1,125
Total cost of attendance
$71,136
Average net price
$28,585

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)
85%
Graduated on time (4 years)
79%
First-year retention
92%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,898
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$66,651
Median debt at graduation
$21,761
Students with federal loans
51%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
83%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
79%
Low-income (Pell)
80%
First-generation
78%

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
1,613
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
88%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Southern Athletic Asssociation
Varsity athletes
584 (333 men · 251 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)142
Football84
Lacrosse68
Soccer65
Baseball45
Swimming and Diving (combined)45
Basketball30
Field Hockey25
Softball22
Tennis22
Golf20
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
21

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,861 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.

12reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Rape
2.0
Fondling
1.3
Aggravated assault
1.0
Robbery
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
$15,770
$30–48k
$19,960
$48–75k
$15,910
$75–110k
$37,103
$110k+
$31,878

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
$65,252

$15,910/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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,678
average award, among those who get one

Rhodes College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,678. 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 478 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)
$66,651
Typical debt at graduation
$21,761
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$66,411
Men
$66,598

Men out-earn women by $187 (0%) 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
92°F
Winter low
33°F
Annual rain
54.9″
Annual snow
2.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Memphis Intl AP, TN US station (6.8 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 Rhodes College

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

Colleges near Rhodes 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.