Memphis, TN · Private · 1,836 undergraduates · urban
Rhodes College
Selective
The choice between SEARCH and Life gives students a sustained three-semester sequence built around foundational texts, beliefs, and questions rather than isolated introductory courses.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Strong in academic standing, and solid in career outcomes.- Admission
- 49.7% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 82.8%
6,025 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$66,651 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Rhodes College apart
Academic design
Every student completes either the three-course SEARCH sequence or the Life: Then and Now sequence within the Foundations Curriculum. The curriculum also requires an engaged-learning experience that can take the form of professional, community, or global engagement.
Campus pattern
The collegiate-Gothic campus has a contained residential feel even though it sits inside Memphis. Students can move between campus life and a city with major health-care, nonprofit, arts, logistics, and civic institutions.
Defining feature
The choice between SEARCH and Life gives students a sustained three-semester sequence built around foundational texts, beliefs, and questions rather than isolated introductory courses.
Can I get in?
49.7% admitted
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Recent applicant pool
6,025About 50 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 8% submitted an SAT, and 22% submitted an ACT. Treat the SAT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Rhodes College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Rhodes College weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Every student completes either the three-course SEARCH sequence or the Life: Then and Now sequence within the Foundations Curriculum. The curriculum also requires an engaged-learning experience that can take the form of professional, community, or global engagement.
Make the fit specific
Students who want a traditional liberal-arts community but intend to use a major Southern city aggressively for research, internships, or community work.
Account for the tradeoff
The required SEARCH or Life sequence occupies meaningful curricular space, so students wanting a nearly requirement-free liberal-arts program may find the structure substantial.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
Rhodes College publishes one merit award, the largest reaching full tuition or more. No separate scholarship application is required; the college uses the admission application. All of them renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews
In the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Rhodes College
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
The choice between SEARCH and Life gives students a sustained three-semester sequence built around foundational texts, beliefs, and questions rather than isolated introductory courses.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Biology, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Computer Science
International Relations and National Security Studies
Psychology, General
What is campus life like?
Rhodes College beyond the classroom
The collegiate-Gothic campus has a contained residential feel even though it sits inside Memphis. Students can move between campus life and a city with major health-care, nonprofit, arts, logistics, and civic institutions.
A defining academic feature
Every student completes either the three-course SEARCH sequence or the Life: Then and Now sequence within the Foundations Curriculum. The curriculum also requires an engaged-learning experience that can take the form of professional, community, or global engagement.
What shapes an ordinary week
The collegiate-Gothic campus has a contained residential feel even though it sits inside Memphis. Students can move between campus life and a city with major health-care, nonprofit, arts, logistics, and civic institutions.
What changes the experience
The choice between SEARCH and Life gives students a sustained three-semester sequence built around foundational texts, beliefs, and questions rather than isolated introductory courses.