Private nonprofit · College
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia · Midsize suburb
- 83.1%
- Admit rate
- $24,503
- Avg net price
- 67%
- Graduation rate
- $58,047
- Median earnings
Roanoke College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Salem, Virginia (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,767 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Roanoke College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 83.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1090–1300
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.45
Enter a test score to see where you land against Roanoke College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Roanoke College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Siouan-speaking Totero people had a village nearby. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 153 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to Roanoke–Blacksburg (ROA)
How Roanoke College compares
More selective than 39% · #22 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 61%
Higher than 73% · #13 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 48%
Higher than 62% · #21 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 30% · #32 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 11%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 54%
Percentiles compare Roanoke College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,76799%
- Graduate111%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,05560%
- Men71240%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black7.1%
- Hispanic7.0%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial8.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,767
- Graduate enrollment
- 11
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 21%
- Students over 25
- 3%
- Median family income
- $82,238
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,977
- Endowment
- $185,244,775
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 83.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1090–1300
- SAT average
- 1211
- SAT reading
- 560–660
- SAT math
- 530–640
- ACT composite
- 24–31
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.45
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $38,068
- Room & board
- $15,366
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $54,283
- Average net price
- $24,503
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)
- 67%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 60%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 9%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,330
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $58,047
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 80%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 71%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 1,540
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 87%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,176
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,190
- Application fee
- $30
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 646 (377 men · 269 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 19
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,804 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$18,638/year × about 4.2 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.
Roanoke College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,601. 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 502 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)
- $58,047
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 47%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $5,168 (9%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 29°F
- Annual rain
- 42.8″
- Annual snow
- 14.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Roanoke Rgnl AP, VA US station (4.7 mi from campus).
What Roanoke College graduates study — and earn
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 Roanoke College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Roanoke College side by side →
St Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, New York · Remote town · 59 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,012
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1197
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $57k
Saint Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin · Midsize suburb · 5 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 1,662
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1182
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
Whitworth University
Spokane, Washington · Large suburb · 7 mi to Spokane
- Students
- 1,858
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 62 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,191
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $57k
Arcadia University
Glenside, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 10 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,948
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
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- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky · Large city · 4 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 2,161
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1210
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
Colleges near Roanoke College
American National University
Salem, VA · Private for-profit · Associate · 630 students
Galen Health Institutes-Roanoke
Roanoke, VA · Private for-profit · Associate · 315 students
Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA · Public · Certificate · 3,898 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Roanoke
Roanoke, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 169 students
Hollins University
Roanoke, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 665 students
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Blacksburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 30,923 students
Ferrum College
Ferrum, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 699 students
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.













