Spelman College
Spelman College is a private, historically Black liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, Georgia, and a member of the Atlanta University Center consortium alongside neighboring Morehouse College. With roughly 2,600 undergraduates, Spelman is routinely ranked the top HBCU in the country and is known for sending an outsized share of its graduates on to graduate and professional study, particularly in the social sciences, psychology, and the sciences. Admission is selective: about 24% of more than 11,500 applicants were admitted for the most recent class, and enrolled first-years carried an average high school GPA near 3.96. Spelman is test-optional, and its graduates earn degrees across business and management, the social sciences, psychology, and the sciences.
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Spelman admissions statistics
Acceptance rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early decision
Spelman offers binding Early Decision. Applying early can meaningfully change your odds — but ED commits you to enroll if admitted.
Admit rate by application plan
% admitted~0.7× higher admit rate applying early.
Standardized tests
Spelman is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Spelman supplemental essays — 2026-2027 cycle
The Spelman College tagline is “A Choice to Change the World”. If you could create meaningful change around one issue in your school, community or globally, what would it be and how would you approach making this change?
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Class rank
Where Spelman's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 31% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Spelman does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions factors
How Spelman weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Spelman's Common Data Set.
Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.
Financial aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Frequently asked questions about Spelman admissions
Spelman doesn't publish a hard GPA cutoff, but admitted first-years are academically strong: the average high school GPA of enrolled students is about 3.96. Rigor of your high school record and your academic GPA are both weighed as very important factors, so a demanding course load matters as much as the number itself.
Spelman is selective. It admitted about 23.8% of applicants in the most recent cycle — roughly 2,743 offers out of more than 11,500 applications — and enrolled around 648 first-year students. Strong grades (an average GPA near 3.96) and a challenging course load are the clearest way to be competitive.
No. Spelman is test-optional, so you can apply without submitting SAT or ACT scores and standardized tests are only a considered (not required) factor. Among admitted students who did submit, the middle 50% scored 1100–1300 on the SAT and 22–28 on the ACT.
Spelman is test-optional, so a score is never required — but if you submit, the admitted middle 50% ranges from 1100 to 1300 on the SAT and 22 to 28 on the ACT, with a median around 1220 SAT and 25 ACT. A score above the median strengthens an application, while a below-median score is often best left off given the test-optional policy.
Spelman offers both: a binding Early Decision plan and a nonbinding Early Action plan. In the most recent Early Decision round, Spelman received 437 ED applications and admitted 70, so applying early — and committing through ED — can signal strong interest at a school that reviews applications holistically.
Tuition and required fees run about $32,470 per year, with on-campus housing and food adding roughly $18,924 before books and personal expenses. About 65% of first-year students receive need-based grant or scholarship aid, with the average financial aid package near $19,340.
Business and management is the largest field at about 36% of bachelor's degrees, followed by the social sciences at roughly 15% and psychology at 11%, with the biological sciences and health professions each near 7%. Spelman, a liberal arts college, sends an outsized share of graduates into graduate and professional study across these fields.
Yes — the application essay is rated a very important factor in Spelman's holistic review, on par with the rigor of your high school record, your GPA, and your extracurricular activities. With a roughly 24% acceptance rate, a focused, authentic essay is one of the clearest ways to stand out beyond grades and scores.
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Popular majors
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student-faculty ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by gender
Student diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Source: Spelman College Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Top Major Area is from IPEDS Completions. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Spelman. Banner photo by OneofaKind25, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cite this page as: Esslo College Explorer, “Spelman College admissions statistics, transcribed from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set,” https://www.esslo.org/colleges/spelman (retrieved 2026-06-25).