The all-female historically black college has received more applications for admission than they ever have in their 140-year existence.
What We Know:
- Spelman has recently received 11,000 applications for their Fall 2021 semester. It is a 20% increase in the number of applicants the HBCU had in 2020. Spelman is currently ranked number 1 on U.S News and World Report’s ranking of HBCUs. The school is also ranked number four on the list of top-performing schools on social mobility and number 10 in the most innovative schools in the country. Notable Spelman alumnae include actress Keisha Knight Puliam, A.J Johnson, and Stacey Abrams.
- Spelman is regarded as the global leader in the education of women in the African diaspora. The HBCU carries a reputation of being the largest producer of Black female Ph. Ds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. On average, students accepted to the school have a high school GPA of 3.8 and an average SAT score of 1203. Applicants from the school’s home state, Georgia, have also increased four percent.
- The record-breaking amount of applications can be attributed to the combination of recent campaigns supporting HBCUs across the countries. Neighboring HBCU Morehouse College has also experienced an increase in applications after revealing an online program intended to reduce tuition for men looking to continue incomplete degrees. Last year, Mcdonald’s launched their “Black and Positively Golden Scholarship Fund” to assist students going to HBCUs in the fall, despite COVID-19. The scholarships will be distributed through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph. D., commented on the recent achievement, saying, “Our admissions team has done an excellent job of sharing our stellar outcomes with prospective students from across the nation.”
- “We are excited that these bright young minds are seizing the opportunity to experience our unique liberal arts education by applying to Spelman,” she continued.
- The news comes just as Spelman is close to reaching a historic $250 million funding goal. Hundreds of donors have contributed to the campaign, which is being called Spelman Ascends. The campaign also looks to install a new building on campus called the Center for Innovation & the Arts.
Spelman College is one of many HBCUs looking to increase its student base as well as provide opportunities for women to become scholars.
