What a friend would tell you
What Agnes Scott is looking for
Agnes Scott values intellectual courage and willingness to engage across difference. The SUMMIT program (global learning and leadership development) is the curriculum's backbone; reference it specifically. Applications from students who thrive in collaborative, discussion-based learning environments and who want a women's college for intentional reasons, not as a safety school, succeed.
What students wish they'd known
At 900 students, this is one of the smallest colleges on any list, and the social scene reflects it. The dating pool is essentially nonexistent on campus. Decatur is charming but small, and while Atlanta is accessible via MARTA, you are still commuting to reach most urban amenities. Name recognition outside the Southeast is limited, which can affect job searches in other regions.
Agnes Scott might be a fit if...
- You want a women's college where global learning is the core curriculum, not an elective, six miles from Atlanta
- You thrive in tiny communities where every student is known and classroom discussion is the primary mode of learning
- You want a college that invests heavily in leadership development for women, with MARTA access to a major city
Agnes Scott Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: ED, RD
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD March 15
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD March 15
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Recommended
Yield Rate
44%
44% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to Agnes Scott, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Agnes Scott
$62,000
Sticker Price
$22,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-aware admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 84% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Agnes Scott spends about $18,500 per student per year on instruction and student resources, well above the $15K national average.
What Agnes Scott Graduates Get
$44,000
Avg Starting Salary
95%
Employed or in Grad School
64%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (71%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Agnes Scott Campus & Culture
The Campus
Agnes Scott's 100 acres in downtown Decatur, Georgia (a walkable square six miles east of Atlanta) feature Victorian Gothic and Collegiate Gothic buildings in grey Elberton granite with slate roofs. The Main Hall, built in 1891, anchors the campus. Mature magnolias and oaks shade the central quad, and the MARTA rail station is a five-minute walk, connecting directly to downtown Atlanta.
The Social Scene
Atlanta proximity, strong sense of sisterhood, honor code
Agnes Scott Traditions & Trivia
Black Cat Week
Dating to 1915, the week begins when a bell rings at midnight and the entire campus rushes to Woodruff Quad to decorate it in class colors; the week ends with a formal dance in downtown Atlanta.
Sophomore Ring Ceremony
Each spring, sophomores receive onyx class rings inscribed with ASC and their graduation year in a ceremony where family members watch them pass the halfway mark.
Academics at Agnes Scott
What Agnes Scott is known for
Women's college, strong STEM, intellectual rigor
Most popular majors at Agnes Scott
Standout programs
STEM, physics, psychology, English literature
How the curriculum works
Liberal arts core with major specialization
Recommended high school courses
4 English, 4 Math, 3 Science, 3 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language
Notable Agnes Scott Alumni
Marsha Norman
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright for 'night, Mother, class of 1969
Jennifer Nettles
Lead singer of Sugarland, Agnes Scott graduate
Mary Hood
Flannery O'Connor Award-winning fiction writer
Mildred Cohn
Pioneering biochemist and National Medal of Science recipient
Lee Smith
Southern novelist, attended Agnes Scott
If you like Agnes Scott, also consider
Spelman College
Premier HBCU for women, also in Atlanta, larger with stronger national profile
Wellesley College
Top women's college near Boston with deeper endowment and resources
Scripps College
Women's college in Claremont with California location and consortium access
Bryn Mawr College
Women's college near Philadelphia with comparable academic rigor
Hollins University
Smaller Virginia women's college with strong creative writing tradition