Rhodes College — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

Strong academic profile (SAT 1290–1490 · ACT 28–33 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Students drawn to Biological & Biomedical Sciences or Social Sciences (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1290, or ACT below 28, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus

Total enrollment

1,836

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$57,110

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$57,110

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

49.7%

Moderately selective

SAT middle 50%

1290–1490

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

28–33

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$66,651

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$48,898

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$66,651

4-year completion

85%

Median debt (completers)

$21,761

Cost of attendance

$71,136

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

16%

💰 True ROI

5.8× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$114,340

$28,585/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$170,204

vs sticker $284,544

10-yr earnings total

$666,510

$66,651/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.7 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Rhodes College, the average net price is $28,585/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$15,770/yr

Family income $30-48k

$19,960/yr

Family income $48-75k

$15,910/yr

Family income $75-110k

$37,103/yr

Family income $110k+

$31,878/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Rhodes College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Rhodes College →

Opens on Rhodes College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Rhodes College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Rhodes College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

99 degrees · 31.2%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

2. Social Sciences

93 degrees · 29.3%

Typical career outcomes

Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k

Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

3. Business, Management, & Marketing

61 degrees · 19.2%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

4. Physical Sciences

35 degrees · 11.0%

Typical career outcomes

Chemist $85k Physicist $147k Geoscientist $93k Materials Scientist $100k

Chemistry, physics, geology — strong wages especially in industry roles.

5. Computer & Information Sciences

29 degrees · 9.1%

Typical career outcomes

Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k

High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Rhodes College

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Economics.	Bachelor's Degree	23	$57,814	$82,950
Computer Science.	Bachelor's Degree	28	$60,225	$78,973
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	71	$58,550	$77,838
Political Science and Government.	Bachelor's Degree	32	$35,537	$72,062
International Relations and National Security Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	16	$23,835	$56,744
Biology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	47	$28,901	$50,036
English Language and Literature, General.	Bachelor's Degree	24	—	$49,042

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Rhodes College

CS degrees (annual)

29

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Rhodes College vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Rhodes College

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Rhodes College doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

University of Alabama in Huntsville

AL · Public

39 auto-merit scholarships on file

The University of Alabama

AL · Public

23 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Alabama at Birmingham

AL · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file