Students drawn to Social Sciences or Psychology (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small undergraduate experience
🎯 The reality
Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1060, or ACT below 21 (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
3,414
1,000 - 4,999
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.
$31,556
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.
34.1%
Selective
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.
1060–1270
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.
21–27
composite
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$59,993
median, after entry
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).
Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$45,676
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$59,993
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.
78%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$25,000
📚 What students study here
Most popular majors at Spelman College
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Spelman College actually graduates — not just what it markets.
1.
Social Sciences
108 degrees
· 37.6%
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
2.
Psychology
63 degrees
· 22.0%
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
3.
Biological & Biomedical Sciences
45 degrees
· 15.7%
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
4.
Health Professions
39 degrees
· 13.6%
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
5.
Visual & Performing Arts
32 degrees
· 11.1%
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.
💼 What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — Spelman College's own graduates, not national averages.
Major (CIP)
Credential
Cohort
1-yr earnings
4-yr earnings
Mathematics.
Bachelor's Degree
10
—
$94,634
Economics.
Bachelor's Degree
42
$59,907
$79,456
Political Science and Government.
Bachelor's Degree
50
$39,050
$66,378
Sociology.
Bachelor's Degree
19
—
$62,587
English Language and Literature, General.
Bachelor's Degree
35
$31,129
$62,425
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General.
Bachelor's Degree
44
$28,357
$60,978
International/Globalization Studies.
Bachelor's Degree
22
$25,753
$56,538
Psychology, General.
Bachelor's Degree
70
$29,343
$52,775
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.
Bachelor's Degree
9
—
$50,364
Biology, General.
Bachelor's Degree
69
$21,638
$48,995
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
📈 Student body & economic mobility
Who attends here — and what the campus adds.
Opportunity Insights data. Why it matters even if you're full-pay: a high mobility rate means the campus itself confers earnings power — the outcomes aren't just selection effects.
Top-1% access
1.4%
from top-1% households
Mobility rateThe share of ALL students who arrived from the bottom 20% of family incomes AND reached the top 20% themselves by their early 30s — access and lift in one number, and a sign the campus itself adds earnings power.
3.3%
bottom 20% → top 20% by age 32
Upward rate
34.9%
of lower-income students who reach the top 20%
Pell recipientsStudents receiving federal Pell grants, which go to lower- and middle-income families — the standard shorthand for a college's economic mix.
28%
on federal need grants — context for these numbers
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
Per Opportunity Insights, these campuses add more earnings power to the students they enroll than Spelman College does — a quality signal, not a cost play.
Get the full picture in one free report — your child's Reach / Match / Likely odds and your real net price, for Spelman College and every other college on your list.
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