Spalding University

Private · Moderately Selective · KY

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School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationKY · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads583

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate41.7%

6-yr grad rate51.7%

Drop-out rate36%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$29k

Out-of-state tuition$29k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity39.6%

Gender diversity61.1%

International1%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Spalding University is a Catholic university in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Its mission statement — centered on compassion and service — carries directly into campus culture and curriculum, distinguishing it from a typical small Catholic university.

Academics

Spalding is known for nursing and social work as core professional programs, alongside a low-residency MFA in creative writing that carries national recognition among low-residency programs, drawing working writers from well beyond Kentucky for its short campus residencies. The university's urban Louisville location supports clinical and field placements for its health and human-services programs.

Campus & student life

As an urban university in downtown Louisville, Spalding has a compact campus integrated into the city rather than a traditional enclosed quad, and its student population includes many adult and graduate students alongside traditional undergraduates. The Sisters of Charity mission shows up in service-learning expectations woven through much of the curriculum.

Getting in

Spalding's admissions approach is holistic and mission-driven, valuing service orientation and fit with its compassion-centered identity alongside academic record; the low-residency MFA has its own competitive, portfolio-based application process separate from undergraduate admissions.

After graduation

Nursing and social work graduates move directly into Louisville-area hospitals and social-service agencies, while MFA graduates go on to publish and teach, with the program's brief-residency alumni known for staying professionally connected after graduation.

Worth knowing

The low-residency MFA in creative writing is Spalding's most nationally visible program despite the university's modest overall size, and prospective undergraduates should know the campus is genuinely urban and integrated into downtown Louisville rather than a traditional walled campus.

spalding.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate99.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 875–1038 · ACT 15–22

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying