Roanoke College
A good fit for students who want accessible admissions and students who want small classes and close faculty access. no major red flags in the data. financial aid brings net price below sticker.
About This School
Roanoke College is a private nonprofit institution located in Salem, Virginia with approximately 1,767 undergraduate students enrolled. Roanoke College has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 83%. The average net price after financial aid is $24,503 per year. The graduation rate is 67%, and the typical graduate earns $52,000 within 10 years of enrollment.
Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional programs. Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
This small liberal arts college in Salem, VA is worth considering if you want a tight-knit campus experience with real academic depth — Phi Beta Kappa membership and 35 majors signal genuine academic seriousness for a school this size. The numbers tell a mixed story, though: a 66% graduation rate means roughly one in three students doesn't finish, and while median debt of $22,313 is manageable, the $52,000 median earnings at 10 years is modest, so choose your major with career outcomes in mind. At $27,786 average net price, it's not a bargain unless the fit is truly right.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 11% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Roanoke College graduates earn most above the national rate in Communication and Media Studies ($76,198 vs $56,359 nationally), and most below it in History ($41,210 vs $50,680).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 72 | $69,323 | $68,257 | +$1,066 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 49 | $65,112 | $54,562 | +$10,550 |
| Psychology, General | 39 | $49,018 | $50,706 | −$1,688 |
| Biology, General | 39 | $55,246 | $57,214 | −$1,968 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 17 | $58,040 | $55,378 | +$2,662 |
| History | 16 | $41,210 | $50,680 | −$9,470 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 16 | $76,198 | $56,359 | +$19,839 |
| Sociology | 14 | $59,580 | $52,657 | +$6,923 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 13 | $54,957 | $55,012 | −$55 |
| Political Science and Government | 12 | $71,604 | $63,293 | +$8,311 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 8 | $43,974 | $48,471 | −$4,497 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Solid return. Earnings outpace debt, though major choice matters.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (1,767 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Roanoke College is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Roanoke College?
Roanoke College has an acceptance rate of 83%, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Is Roanoke College hard to get into?
Not especially. Roanoke College has an acceptance rate of 83%, so admissions are relatively accessible for applicants who meet the requirements.
How much does Roanoke College cost?
The average net price at Roanoke College is about $24,503 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Roanoke College?
Roanoke College has a graduation rate of 67%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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