Guilford College

Private · Moderately Selective · NC

Photo: Parkram412 at en.wikipedia (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNC · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,001

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate36.3%

6-yr grad rate45.8%

Drop-out rate35.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$41k

Out-of-state tuition$41k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity55.2%

Gender diversity47.9%

International1.7%

IdentityFriends

Overview

Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, was founded by Quakers in 1837, and that legacy still defines it — consensus-based governance, a justice-and-equality ethos, and campus woods that sheltered Underground Railroad activity remain part of institutional identity rather than historical footnotes. It is a small liberal arts college that takes its founding values seriously in daily practice.

Academics

The college maintains genuine strength in programs tied to its social-justice identity — peace and conflict studies and sociology among them — alongside a standard liberal arts core, with small classes and direct faculty access throughout.

Campus & student life

Community engagement is a real, everyday part of student life at Guilford, not a slogan — students routinely work with Greensboro nonprofits and community organizations through coursework or extracurricular commitment. The student body is notably diverse for a small private liberal arts college in its region, and the wooded campus, with its Underground Railroad history, is treated as living heritage rather than a plaque.

Getting in

Guilford's process is holistic and values-aligned — essays that speak to social engagement or intellectual curiosity carry real weight — and the college has historically been need-conscious and accessible relative to peer liberal arts colleges.

Worth knowing

Guilford's Quaker governance model shows up structurally: some campus governance bodies operate by consensus rather than majority vote, a genuinely different model from typical student government elsewhere.

guilford.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate80%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1120–1260 · ACT 18–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying