Roanoke College
Roanoke College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Roanoke College Featured Rankings
About Roanoke College
According to Wikipedia, Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional programs. Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
Roanoke College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,829 | 83% | 76% | 64% | 1195 | 27 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Roanoke College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $39,208 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $16,827 |
| 30K - 48K | $15,415 |
| 48K - 75K | $18,244 |
| 75K - 110K | $22,120 |
| 110K+ | $30,561 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Roanoke College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Roanoke College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $64,329 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Roanoke College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 1,985 | 1,963 | 22 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Roanoke College?
Roanoke College is located at 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153-3794.
How Safe is Roanoke College?
Roanoke College reported 1.7 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most small residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Roanoke College has a violent crime rate of 0.17% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Salem has a violent crime rate of 0.04% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.52%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Roanoke College Known For?
Roanoke College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Political Science
- Communications
- Literature
- Religious Studies
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Criminal Justice
- Physics
- History
- Psychology
- Business
- Sociology
- Education
- Engineering
- Medical
- Philosophy
- Economics
Roanoke College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Roanoke College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Roanoke College ranks #437 in the U.S. and #1765 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesRoanoke College ranks #568 in the U.S. and #2111 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesRoanoke College ranks #579 in the U.S. and #1760 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesRoanoke College ranks #616 in the U.S. and #2753 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesRoanoke College ranks #653 in the U.S. and #3088 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesRoanoke College ranks #744 in the U.S. and #3331 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesRoanoke College ranks #817 in the U.S. and #3542 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesRoanoke College ranks #844 in the U.S. and #3336 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesRoanoke College ranks #901 in the U.S. and #1704 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesRoanoke College ranks #924 in the U.S. and #3860 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesRoanoke College ranks #966 in the U.S. and #3020 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesRoanoke College ranks #989 in the U.S. and #2607 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1011 in the U.S. and #3770 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1112 in the U.S. and #3722 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1123 in the U.S. and #4752 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1201 in the U.S. and #6268 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1229 in the U.S. and #4230 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1230 in the U.S. and #4070 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesRoanoke College ranks #1437 in the U.S. and #6904 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWho Are Roanoke College's Most Influential Alumni?
Roanoke College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Literature. Here are some of Roanoke College's most famous alumni:
- Carol M. Swain
- A Political scientist.
- Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle
- An American neuroscientist.
- R. H. W. Dillard
- An American writer.
- Thomas David Gordon
- A Professor and theologian.
- Richard L. Pratt Jr.
- An American theologian.
- Ted Brown
- A Radio personality.
- William Steel Creighton
- An American myrmecologist .
- Carl W. Gottschalk
- An American medical academic.
- William W. Cates
- An American philosopher, photographer, writer and vintner.
- John Payne
- An American actor 1912-1989.
