Despite the pandemic, Atlanta’s Spelman College had 11,000 applicants this year, the highest in its 140-year history. The 20 percent increase over the 2020-2021 pool is greatly encouraging, coming amid the chaos of shutdowns and virtual learning.
Spelman’s gold standard as a higher education institution for Black women has seen an upward applicant trend since 2014. COVID-19 could have changed that, but it didn’t, proving young Black women are as eager as ever to attend.
“The increased interest is a testament to the College’s reputation of graduating Black women with a competitive edge” said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., Spelman’s president. “Our admissions team has done an excellent job 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.”
“Spelman is an HBCU jewel,” said Stacey Abrams, a graduate of Spelman and Georgia political North Star.
Interim admissions director Chelsea Holley sees a current urgency to support HBCUs as contributing to this year’s surge. From founding inaugural Black student organizations at their high schools to advocating for voters’ rights in the 2020 presidential election, this applicant pool has been civically engaged, committed to leadership and dedicated to the very mission of Spelman College,” said Holley.
Unsurprisingly, admission is tough. Applicant profiles average a 3.8 G.P.A with a 1203 SAT score. U.S. News & World Report lists Spelman as America’s no. 1 HBCU and no. 57 liberal arts college overall.
“We have been intentional about sharing the rich legacy of Spelman while highlighting our ability to produce the next generation of leaders in a tech-forward society,” said Holley. “We have evolved to remain a pace setter in the professional development of women of African descent.”
Coming out of the pandemic, Spelman has positioned itself for a future worthy of its storied past.
