Salem, VA · Private · 1,767 undergraduates · suburban
Roanoke College
Less selective
Roanoke’s INQ core lets students meet broad liberal-arts requirements through themed courses such as global health, media, statistics and contemporary social questions.
Institutional profile
Established Solid in career outcomes, and steady in student experience.- Admission
- 80.1% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 69.8%
6,829 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$58,047 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Roanoke College apart
Academic design
The core uses topic-driven inquiry courses to build writing, quantitative reasoning, scientific thinking and cultural analysis rather than treating general education as a checklist. Majors span sciences, humanities, social sciences and pre-professional fields.
Campus pattern
The campus is in Salem, adjacent to the city of Roanoke and close to Blue Ridge hiking and outdoor recreation. Residential traditions and a compact campus create frequent interaction among students and faculty.
Defining feature
Roanoke’s INQ core lets students meet broad liberal-arts requirements through themed courses such as global health, media, statistics and contemporary social questions.
Can I get in?
80.1% admitted
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Recent applicant pool
6,829About 80 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 29% submitted an SAT, and 7% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT 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 Roanoke College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Roanoke 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
The core uses topic-driven inquiry courses to build writing, quantitative reasoning, scientific thinking and cultural analysis rather than treating general education as a checklist. Majors span sciences, humanities, social sciences and pre-professional fields.
Make the fit specific
Roanoke’s INQ core lets students meet broad liberal-arts requirements through themed courses such as global health, media, statistics and contemporary social questions.
Account for the tradeoff
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
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.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Roanoke 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
Roanoke’s INQ core lets students meet broad liberal-arts requirements through themed courses such as global health, media, statistics and contemporary social questions.
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.
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Biology, General
Psychology, General
Public Health
What is campus life like?
Roanoke College beyond the classroom
The campus is in Salem, adjacent to the city of Roanoke and close to Blue Ridge hiking and outdoor recreation. Residential traditions and a compact campus create frequent interaction among students and faculty.
A defining academic feature
The core uses topic-driven inquiry courses to build writing, quantitative reasoning, scientific thinking and cultural analysis rather than treating general education as a checklist. Majors span sciences, humanities, social sciences and pre-professional fields.
What shapes an ordinary week
The campus is in Salem, adjacent to the city of Roanoke and close to Blue Ridge hiking and outdoor recreation. Residential traditions and a compact campus create frequent interaction among students and faculty.
What changes the experience
Roanoke’s INQ core lets students meet broad liberal-arts requirements through themed courses such as global health, media, statistics and contemporary social questions.