More selective than 48% of Virginia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $54,283. College Scorecard.
Higher than 70% of Virginia colleges we cover and 74% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 55% of Virginia colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Roanoke College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,829 applicants, Roanoke College admitted 5,468 and 531 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1300 on the SAT or 24–31 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Roanoke College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Virginia residents studying full-time at eligible private nonprofit Virginia colleges may receive the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG): up to $5,250 a year for undergraduates in 2025-26, depending on state funding. Not included in the prices above. State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), VTAG
Roanoke College majors, earnings & careers
Roanoke College offers 36 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Science & Math · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Education · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 3
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Roanoke College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | $76,198 | $26,975 |
| Political Science | $71,604 | — |
| Business Administration | $69,323 | $26,429 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $65,112 | $27,000 |
| Sociology | $59,580 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $58,040 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $55,246 | $27,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $54,957 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 36 majors
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$55,246
- Business Administration$69,323
- Chemistry—
- Communications$76,198
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$58,040
- Data Science—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$54,957
- History$41,210
- Information Science / Studies—
- Interdisciplinary Studies$50,074
- International Relations—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$65,112
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$71,604
- Psychology$49,018
- Public Health—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$59,580
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre—
- Writing$43,974
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Roanoke
Overall prices in the Roanoke, VA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,464. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 15 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Salem City
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Salem City at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Roanoke College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Virginia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke College | 83% | $24,503 | 67% | $58,047 | This school |
| Randolph-Macon College | 87% | $27,866 | 70% | $58,448 | |
| Shenandoah University | 77% | $30,298 | 67% | $58,433 | |
| Emory & Henry University | 84% | $19,061 | 56% | $47,385 | |
| Patrick Henry College | 77% | — | 74% | — |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Roanoke College would cost you $3,363 less per year than Randolph-Macon College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Roanoke College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$11,398).
- Randolph-Macon College gives aided families $6,339 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Virginia resident | Roanoke College | Randolph-Macon College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $38,068 | $49,466 | −$11,398 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $15,366 | $14,630 | +$736 |
| Personal & travel | $2,250 | $1,550 | +$700 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,401 | −$2,661 | +$260 |
| Sticker price | $54,283 | $63,985 | −$9,702 |
| Average grants | −$29,780 | −$36,119 | +$6,339 |
| You pay | $24,503 | $27,866 | −$3,363 |
“+” means Roanoke College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Roanoke College
What is the Roanoke College acceptance rate?
Roanoke College accepts 83% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 5,468 of 6,829 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1300 on the SAT or 24–31 on the ACT.
How much does Roanoke College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $54,283 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $24,503 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,204 and families earning $110k+ pay $30,087.
How much do Roanoke College graduates earn?
Former Roanoke College students earn a median $58,047 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Roanoke College graduation rate?
67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
Is Roanoke College the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Roanoke College with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Roanoke College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/roanoke-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).