At a Glance

MISSION STATEMENT

Spelman College, a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent, is dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical and leadership development of its students.  Spelman empowers the whole person to engage the many cultures of the world and inspires a commitment to positive social change.

PRIDE POINTS

BestColleges.com ranked Spelman among the top 20 “Best Women's Colleges” in 2016.

Spelman College has been recognized among the top 100 national liberal arts colleges, and for the tenth straight year, is the No. 1 historically Black college and university in the country, according to the 2017 U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" rankings.

Spelman’s current graduation rate of 76 percent (six year average) is the highest among all HBCUs and is well above the national graduation rate (44 percent) for African American students.

With an acceptance rate of 41 percent, Spelman is among the most selective women’s college in the nation. Spelman educates the highest number (at 43) of Gates Millennium Scholars than any other college or university in the country, and the College is annually recognized as one of the leading producers of Fulbright Fellowship winners.

Twelve Spelman students have been named Truman Scholars and five Marshall Scholars. Out of more than 300 applicants across the U.S., Spelman is one of just two colleges in Georgia – and among only three historically black colleges nationwide – named a 2015 First in the World (FITW) grant recipient by the U.S. Department of Education.

Spelman will receive $2.7 million to incorporate new teaching and learning strategies into its curriculum focused on metacognitive learning, a system defined as “thinking about thinking.”

Among the faculty are nationally and internationally recognized and awarded scholars, heads and officers of disciplinary associations, and several patent holders. Eighty-eight percent of faculty members have doctoral degrees or the equivalent in their fields.

One-third of our students enter graduate or professional school immediately after college graduation, resulting in Spelman being one of the nation's leading producers of Black female medical students and doctoral candidates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Spelman has been recognized by the National Science Foundation as the leading producer of Black women who go on to earn doctorates in the sciences.

Rankings & Awards

FAST FACTS

ENROLLMENT

FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS 

Spelman College Fact Book