Le Moyne-Owen College

Private · Moderately Selective · TN

Photo: Dclemens1971 (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationTN · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads581

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate13.5%

6-yr grad rate27%

Drop-out rate52.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$12k

Out-of-state tuition$12k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity99.1%

Gender diversity62.1%

International5%

IdentityHBCU · Multiple Protestant Denomination

Overview

LeMoyne-Owen College is Memphis's historically Black college, formed from institutions with roots in Reconstruction-era freedmen's education and affiliated with United Church of Christ and Baptist traditions. Its history is deeply intertwined with the city's civil rights movement, and that legacy remains a visible part of the college's institutional identity.

Academics

The college offers liberal arts and business programs in a small, personal setting, with an educational mission focused on access and opportunity for Memphis-area and first-generation students rather than a research-university model.

Campus & student life

As a small urban HBCU, LeMoyne-Owen offers a close campus community embedded in South Memphis, with student life organized around campus traditions, Greek life, and the college's historic role in the surrounding neighborhood and city.

Getting in

LeMoyne-Owen's admissions process is access-oriented, prioritizing opportunity for students who might not gain entry elsewhere, with review weighing personal circumstance alongside academic record.

Worth knowing

The college's civil rights history is a genuine and significant part of its identity — LeMoyne-Owen students and faculty played real roles in Memphis's civil rights movement — giving the college a civic significance well beyond its small size.

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Admissions

Acceptance rate99.2%

Enrolled mid-50%890

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying