Oglethorpe University

Private · Moderately Selective · GA

Photo: Marc Merlin (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationGA · South

SettingSuburban

Undergrads1,352

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate43.5%

6-yr grad rate54.1%

Drop-out rate26.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$48k

Out-of-state tuition$48k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity72.4%

Gender diversity62.8%

International2.7%

Identity—

Overview

Oglethorpe University is a small liberal arts college in Atlanta's Brookhaven area, named for James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony, and built in a striking English-Gothic architectural style that makes its compact campus feel older and more enclosed than its actual age or size would suggest. It sits inside Atlanta's beltline economy, giving students city access without a fully urban campus footprint.

Academics

Oglethorpe organizes its general education around a Core curriculum built on great-books-style study of foundational texts across disciplines, a structural choice that shapes every student's first years regardless of major. Business and biology are particular strengths beyond the Core, and small class sizes throughout keep discussion-based teaching central to the academic culture, consistent with the Core's own seminar format.

Campus & student life

Beyond its Gothic architecture, Oglethorpe is known for the Crypt of Civilization, a sealed 1940 time capsule — among the first of its kind anywhere — that by design is not to be opened until the year 8113, a genuinely unusual campus landmark students learn about early. Atlanta's broader economy and culture sit just beyond the campus edge, giving students easy access to internships and city life alongside a small-campus social experience.

Getting in

Admission is holistic, with essays and engagement with the Core curriculum's discussion-based model a real factor; the college markets itself explicitly to students who want small-college intimacy without leaving a major metro area.

After graduation

Business and biology graduates benefit from Atlanta's corporate and healthcare job market directly, and the Core curriculum's emphasis on writing and discussion is frequently cited by alumni in law, business, and communications-adjacent careers.

oglethorpe.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate88.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1090–1310 · ACT 22–31

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying