Bennett College

Private · Moderately Selective · NC

Photo: Nyttend (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNC · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads178

Student:faculty7:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate19.7%

6-yr grad rate25%

Drop-out rate14.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$19k

Out-of-state tuition$19k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity99.4%

Gender diversity100%

International3.4%

IdentityHBCU · United Methodist

Overview

Bennett College, in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of only two remaining historically Black women's colleges in the country, alongside Spelman. Its small, single-sex campus is built around a close-knit community — students are known as "Bennett Belles" — with a legacy of civil-rights activism that includes a role in organizing the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins. The college has weathered real financial and accreditation strain in recent years, and its survival has become a point of pride and fierce alumnae loyalty.

Academics

Programs concentrate in the humanities and social sciences — education, business, social work, and communications among them — taught in small classes with close faculty contact. Because the campus is small, Bennett leans on partnerships and cross-registration with other Greensboro-area colleges to widen the course catalog beyond what its own faculty can offer alone.

Campus & student life

The Bennett Belle identity runs through campus traditions, including formal pinning and induction ceremonies and a strong culture of sisterhood and mutual accountability among students. As a small women's college, the atmosphere is intimate rather than anonymous, and student leadership roles are widely accessible rather than reserved for a few.

Getting in

Bennett's application looks for young women prepared to commit to a single-sex, historically Black institution and its mission, more than it hunts for the highest test scores; essays and a genuine sense of fit with the college's values of sisterhood, service, and leadership carry real weight in review.

After graduation

Alumnae describe a tight, activist-minded network built on shared identity as Bennett Belles, and the college has a long record of sending graduates into education, social work, law, and public service, with a smaller but notable pipeline into journalism and media that traces back to the Belles' civil-rights history.

Worth knowing

Bennett's finances and accreditation status have been publicly precarious at points in the past decade, met each time by aggressive alumnae fundraising campaigns that helped keep the college open. Prospective students should understand its story as one of resilience under real financial strain, not a comfortably endowed campus, and should confirm current accreditation status directly.

bennett.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate50.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 820–1060

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying