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🎓 College profile

Patrick Henry College

VA · Private nonprofit · Fringe town · 222 applicants 2023

82% admit rate SAT 1220–1430
Get your child's odds at Patrick Henry College Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price. Patrick Henry College starts already on the list. Start →

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profiles — the admitted-student bands above are within reach for strong students
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1220, or ACT below 26, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
395
Under 1,000
TuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid — common above ~$110K income — pay this, minus any merit scholarships.
$28,425
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

⚠️ Sticker price isn't every family's price. Lower- and middle-income families often pay materially less after grants; higher-income families frequently pay close to sticker unless the college offers merit scholarships. Check the school's own net-price calculator for your number.

Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
82.0%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
1220–1430
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
26–31
composite
Test policy
Required
2023

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

4-year completionThe share of students who finish a bachelor's in four years. Nationally barely half do — and a fifth year quietly adds a full extra year of cost to the real price.
74%

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Patrick Henry College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Patrick Henry College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Social Sciences
19 degrees · 29.2%
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
2. Military Technologies
13 degrees · 20.0%
3. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
12 degrees · 18.5%
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
4. Business, Management, & Marketing
11 degrees · 16.9%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
5. Communication, Journalism, & Related
10 degrees · 15.4%
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

Alternatives to Patrick Henry College

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 stats-based merit scholarships
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
30 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
21 stats-based + 2 competitive scholarships
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state and similar selectivity, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Virginia Commonwealth University
VA · Public
93% admit rate (vs 82% here)

⚖️ Or compare any college side-by-side

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