Private nonprofit · University

Spalding University

Louisville, Kentucky · Large city

99.5%
Admit rate
$25,491
Avg net price
52%
Graduation rate
$49,438
Median earnings

Spalding University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Louisville, Kentucky (large city setting), enrolling 583 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 583 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 99% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
99.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
875–1038
Avg GPA (est.)
2.81

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

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

About Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. The history of Louisville spans hundreds of years, and has been influenced by the area's geography and proximity to the Falls of the Ohio River. Louisville is home to many annual cultural events. Perhaps most well known is the Kentucky Derby, held annually during the first Saturday of May. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Louisville, KY
To Great Lakes shore
247 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Louisville Muhammad Ali (SDF) · major hub

How Spalding University compares

Selectivity99.5%

More selective than 5% · #25 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average977

Higher than 6%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 43% · #15 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,438

Higher than 37% · #10 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$25,491

Cheaper than 27% · #28 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$25,250

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment583

Larger than 24%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,418students
  • Undergraduate58341%
  • Graduate83559%

Undergraduates by gender

583undergrads
  • Women43274%
  • Men15126%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black24%
  • Hispanic8.2%
  • Asian1.4%
  • 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
583
Graduate enrollment
835
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$33,886
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,594
Endowment
$28,053,113

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 117 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kentucky72%
  • Other U.S. states28%

Most first-years stay in state — Spalding University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.

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
99.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
875–1038
SAT average
977
SAT reading
440–513
SAT math
435–525
ACT composite
15–22
Average GPA (estimated)
2.81

Cost

In-state tuition
$29,200
Room & board
$9,710
Books & supplies
$200
Total cost of attendance
$45,530
Average net price
$25,491

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)
52%
Graduated on time (4 years)
42%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
31%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,870
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,438
Median debt at graduation
$25,250
Students with federal loans
59%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
42%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
41%

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
334
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
57%
Housing charge (year)
$4,800
Meal plan (year)
$3,680
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
312 (166 men · 146 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)73
Soccer65
Baseball44
Basketball40
Lacrosse36
Softball24
Golf15
Volleyball15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
11

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,553 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Burglary
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$20,509
$30–48k
$22,475
$48–75k
$24,378
$75–110k
$28,122
$110k+
$29,278

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
$104,589

$24,378/year × about 4.3 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
$12,066
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 97% — get grant money from Spalding University itself, averaging $12,066, 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 132 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)
$49,438
Typical debt at graduation
$25,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
51%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 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
$48,780
Men
$50,293

Men out-earn women by $1,513 (3%) 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
89°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
48″
Annual snow
4.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Louisville Mcalpine, KY US station (3.1 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 Spalding University

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

Colleges near Spalding 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.