Private nonprofit · University

Shorter University

Rome, Georgia · Small city

96.5%
Admit rate
$16,646
Avg net price
38%
Graduation rate
$44,604
Median earnings

Shorter University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Rome, Georgia (small city setting), enrolling 1,028 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,028 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division II with football · Gulf South ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Shorter University's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1040–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.18

Enter a test score to see where you land against Shorter University's admitted students.

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

About Rome, Georgia

Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. The Abihka tribe of Creek in the area of Rome later became part of the Upper Creek people (who occupied the Northern Creek territory, called themselves the Muscogee). Rome has long had the strength of economic diversity, with an economy founded in manufacturing, education, healthcare, technology, tourism, and other industries. In 1954, General Electric established a factory to build medium transformers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
266 miles
Nearest airport
54 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)

How Shorter University compares

Selectivity96.5%

More selective than 10% · #43 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1115

Higher than 34%

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 19% · #34 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention61%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,604

Higher than 23% · #34 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$16,646

Cheaper than 65% · #23 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,028

Larger than 38%

Percentiles compare Shorter University 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

1,143students
  • Undergraduate1,02890%
  • Graduate11510%

Undergraduates by gender

1,028undergrads
  • Women56255%
  • Men46645%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black23%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial7.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,028
Graduate enrollment
115
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$34,625
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$45,486
Endowment
$14,534,841

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 269 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Georgia81%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International2.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Shorter University draws overwhelmingly from Georgia.

3% 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
96.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1040–1200
SAT average
1115
SAT reading
530–620
SAT math
510–580
ACT composite
18–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.18

Cost

In-state tuition
$24,630
Room & board
$9,920
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$35,726
Average net price
$16,646

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)
38%
Graduated on time (4 years)
31%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,860
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,604
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
42%

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
760
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Housing charge (year)
$5,150
Meal plan (year)
$4,634
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Gulf South Conference
Varsity athletes
461 (320 men · 141 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 (11)

Football151
Soccer54
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)52
Baseball40
Lacrosse40
Basketball35
Softball20
Volleyball20
Golf18
Tennis16
Wrestling15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,318 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.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
1.0
Rape
0.7
Burglary
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
$15,929
$30–48k
$21,482
$48–75k
$22,944
$75–110k
$21,292
$110k+
$18,898

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
$97,465

$22,944/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.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$12,495
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 95% — get grant money from Shorter University itself, averaging $12,495, which softens the sticker price.

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 268 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)
$44,604
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
56%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.6 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
$42,764
Men
$51,849

Men out-earn women by $9,085 (21%) 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
90°F
Winter low
30°F
Annual rain
55.1″
Annual snow
0.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rome, GA US station (2.5 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 Shorter University

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

Colleges near Shorter University

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.