Private nonprofit · College

Spelman College

Atlanta, Georgia · Large city

#3 most selective in Georgia#4 graduation rate in Georgia#5 for grad earnings in Georgia
24.9%
Admit rate
$38,967
Avg net price
78%
Graduation rate
$59,993
Median earnings

Spelman College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Atlanta, Georgia (large city setting), enrolling 3,414 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,414 undergradsLarge cityVery selective · 25% admit

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
24.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1108–1320
Avg GPA
3.94

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

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

About Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in North Georgia, the indigenous Creek people, Cherokee people, and their ancestors inhabited the area. Atlanta has drawn residents from many other parts of the U.S., in addition to many recent immigrants to the U.S. who have made the metropolitan area their home, establishing Atlanta as the cultural and economic hub of an increasingly multi-cultural metropolitan area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
1 mile to Atlanta, GA
To the ocean
222 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta (ATL) · major hub

How Spelman College compares

Selectivity24.9%

More selective than 94% · #3 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1220

Higher than 64%

Graduation rate78%

Higher than 88% · #4 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention94%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,993

Higher than 68% · #5 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$38,967

Cheaper than 5% · #52 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment3,414

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Spelman 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

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White5.1%
  • Black86%
  • Hispanic0.9%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial6.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,414
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
25%
Median family income
$43,781
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$86,022
Endowment
$549,276,684

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 727 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Georgia21%
  • Other U.S. states78%
  • International0.7%

A national draw — only 21% of first-years come from Georgia; 78% arrive from other states.

1% 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
24.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1108–1320
SAT average
1220
SAT reading
590–680
SAT math
518–640
ACT composite
22–29
Average GPA
3.94

Cost

In-state tuition
$31,556
Room & board
$18,091
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$50,952
Average net price
$38,967

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)
78%
Graduated on time (4 years)
70%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,676
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,993
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 9% 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
70%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
60%

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
1,398
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
41%
Application fee
$40

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
11

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,417 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.

4.7reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.7
Fondling
1.0

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
$32,923
$30–48k
$34,108
$48–75k
$36,602
$75–110k
$38,640
$110k+
$44,529

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
$152,657

$36,602/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
$8,807
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 95% — get grant money from Spelman College itself, averaging $8,807, 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 579 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)
$59,993
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
2.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Atlanta Fulton CO AP, GA US station (6.7 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 Spelman College

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

Colleges near Spelman 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.