Information for Secondary School Counselors

A group of three students on a spacious walkway with a two-story, collegiate gothic building in the background.

On our beautiful campus in Memphis, Tennessee, Rhodes College provides a world-class college experience for our students. We offer more than 70 majors, minors, and interdisciplinary programs and our 9:1 faculty/student ratio, award-winning faculty, and supportive community empowers students to hold nothing back in pursuing their goals and dreams. Students discover their place in the Rhodes community, in our city, and the world thanks to hundreds of opportunities for exploration inside and outside the classroom. Our legacy speaks for itself: Rhodes College has graduated impactful changemakers and transformative leaders for over a century.

Meet our Admission Counselors

At Rhodes, you’ll find a welcoming atmosphere like no other. Our admission counselors are eager to get to know you and your talented students. Find the admission counselor who works with students from your area or country.

Visit Campus

Once you’re here, you’ll know—there’s simply no college experience that is quite like Rhodes. Our tight-knit, residential campus fosters community like no other. We invite you to visit and see for yourself!

Get to Know our Students

Rhodes typically enrolls a first-year class of nearly 500 talented and diverse students from all over the nation and abroad, accepting 47% to 49% of over 6000 applicants. Of our depositing students, 60% to 65% applied test optional. Our student body currently represents 45 states and 63 countries. You can download our class profile to learn more.

Counselor Visits to Rhodes

Rhodes is excited to welcome high school counselors to Rhodes in June 2026 as part of SACAC’s Sweet Tea Tour.  More information about dates, other locations included, and how to register can be found on the SACAC website. We also welcome your individual visit anytime and would love to treat you to some Memphis BBQ! Memphis is approximately 3 hours from Nashville, 2.5 hours from Little Rock, and 4 hours from St. Louis, if you are planning to visit other colleges. Please reach out to your admission counselor to help plan your visit. 

 

a professor consults with students

Admission Decision Information

  • $500 Visit Grant: We want your students to visit! Students who travel 200 miles or more to attend an in-person admission event by December 1 of their senior year will receive a $500 visit grant applied to their financial aid package upon admission.
  • Slate.org is a free tool for school counselors to check on the status of student applications. Slate.org also allows counselors to conveniently and securely submit application-related materials directly to Rhodes College. Student decisions are available for counselors to view after a student has viewed it. Click here for a demo of Slate.org for school counselors. If you have previously submitted documents through the Common Application, you are pre-approved for a Slate.org account.
  • Rhodes adopted a permanent test-optional policy for admission and merit scholarship consideration. No student will be disadvantaged by not submitting a test score.
  • $3,000 Early Decision Grant: Rhodes is offering an additional $3,000 Early Decision Grant to admitted Early Decision students who know Rhodes is their top choice. We filled 35% of our class through Early Decision last year.
  • To remove all bias from first reads, we review all applications test-free. If a student chooses to submit test scores, we consider scores in subsequent reviews. However, we continue our long-standing policy of being selectively test-blind above the benchmark level of 28/1300. We try to only consider test scores when submitted if it helps us advocate for an applicant.
  • Early Decision I and II applicants can expect a response (including financial aid, if applicable) within two weeks of completing their application.
  • Demonstrated interest will play a role in our admission process this cycle. We strongly encourage applicants to engage with the college in-person and/or virtually to gain a better understanding of the culture of Rhodes and to help determine personal fit in their student-centered college search.
  • You can learn detailed information about each of our decision rounds by visiting the Apply section of our website.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Rhodes has a priority deadline of Dec. 1 for merit-based scholarships.

The Common Application also serves as the application for Rhodes’ merit-based scholarships. Regardless of application plan (ED l, ED ll, EA, RD), all applications received by December 1 will be considered for our most prestigious scholarships. With our merit-based and need-based financial aid packages, it is not uncommon for the out-of-pocket expense of attending Rhodes to be no greater than that of attending a large state university. Applications received after December 1 may still be considered for merit scholarships.

Rhodes Merit Scholarships

Merit awards serve to recognize individual students for their academic talent, service, or leadership achievements.

  • Cambridge Scholarship: $43,000 per year
  • Founders Scholarship: $38,000 per year
  • Presidential Scholarship: $37,000 per year
  • Ralph C. Hon Scholarship: $35,000 per year
  • Diehl Scholarship: $34,000 per year
  • Rhodes Award Scholarship: $20,000 - $32,000 per year
  • Tennessee Advantage Scholarship: $31,000 per year  (Learn more about the Tennessee Advantage Scholarship.)

Fellowships

Fellowships provide a way to put academics into action. These five fellowships require a special application process.

Rhodes requires all domestic applicants seeking need-based financial aid to complete the FAFSA at the time of their application deadline.  The CSS Profile will also be accepted to be considered for institutional financial aid.

International students are eligible to be considered for merit scholarships. All international students should submit the Rhodes Non-US Citizen Financial Information Form. Admission is more competitive for international students seeking need-based aid.

Prospective Student Programs 

Rhodes offers opportunities for prospective students to have meaningful interactions with Rhodes faculty and staff. These programs also allow students to sample the Rhodes community through living in campus residence halls and exploring campus amenities and resources. 

Crossroads: A Program for Admitted Underserved, First-Generation, and Low-Income Students

Rhodes will host our annual Crossroads program for cultural inclusion April 17, 2026. All admitted applicants who identify with these groups will receive an invitation to register online.

Rhodes College Summer Academy

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors are invited to join the Rhodes College's Summer Academy, a two-week residential program combining credit-bearing courses, co-curricular opportunities, and a vibrant campus experience. Students stay on our historic Memphis campus, learn from Rhodes faculty, and connect with peers while enjoying exclusive workshops that assist in the college application process.

The 2026 Academy runs June 21 – July 2. Applications will open November 1!

 

 

Mock Trial Academy 

Rhodes also hosts a one-week Mock Trial Academy for high school juniors and seniors. Rhodes’ Mock Trial Team has received more national bids than any other collegiate mock trial program in the country. For more information, please visit the Mock Trial section of the site.

What’s New at Rhodes? 

  • We've added a Data Analytics Major: Rhodes has created an interdisciplinary program grounded in the liberal arts that engages students in working with real world data. Students can choose to concentrate in fields ranging from anthropology and sociology to finance to urban studies.
  • We have a new Linguistics Minor: The minor in linguistics will allow students to complement various related majors with interdisciplinary courses of study that explore important parts of human experience—language and cognition.
  • Due to popular demand, Rhodes offers a new minor in Dance.
  • Rhodes offers expanded opportunities for in-person and telehealth counseling sessions. Access to mental health counselors is available free of charge 24/7/365 to students.
  • Rhodes now offers an undergraduate certificate in journalism through the Department of English. A highly requested area of study, the Journalism certificate program enjoys a unique partnership with Memphis magazine, which offers our students opportunities for professional publication as undergraduates.
  • Rhodes now offers a Law and Society minor, an interdisciplinary program that provides students the opportunity to study law and its relationship to society with the flexibility to devise a program of study suited to their particular educational and professional interests.
  • Rhodes is celebrating 100 years in Memphis with a year-long series of speakers and events. Founded in 1848 in Clarksville, TN, Rhodes has enjoyed 100 years of offering distinctive opportunities to learn and serve through a liberal rts education in an urban setting.