I’m not going to sell you this school or dismiss it for you. I’m going to show you what the U.S. government and the institution itself report about it, year after year, number by number. You decide what to do with that. That is the part no one else gets to decide.
Who Covenant College is and where it stands
Covenant College is a private, nonprofit, four-year college that offers bachelor’s degrees and, according to what it reports to the government, some master’s-level study as well. The system that classifies this country’s colleges —Carnegie— describes it as a small, highly residential liberal arts and sciences college: most of its undergraduate students live in institutionally controlled housing, and at least 8 out of every 10 study full time. Carnegie also places it in its selective-admissions group.
It is in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in Dade County, within the Chattanooga metropolitan area —although that does not mean the campus is in that city’s downtown. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the principal city. If your child is considering living at home and commuting, do not rely on the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time their classes would be.
One thing worth clarifying from the outset: Covenant College does not have any of the three special designations the government tracks —it is not a historically Black college or university, not a tribal college or university, and not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges in this national directory, 138 do carry one of those three designations. Covenant not having one says nothing about whom it serves or how your child would feel there. Ask that directly: what student organizations and cultural centers exist today.
And while we are on the subject of sticker price: do not choose or rule out this school because of the price shown in the brochure. Ask in writing how much your family would pay after scholarships and aid. That is the number that should actually be compared across colleges, and we will get to it later.
A small community, with few Latinos
Covenant College had 928 students enrolled in the official fall count for 2023: 908 undergraduates and 20 graduate students. It is, above all, a bachelor’s-degree institution, and it is small. Compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report enrollment, seven out of ten, or more, have more students than it does.
The undergraduate population is nearly even between men and women: out of every 100 students, 53 are women. There are almost no older adults —only 1 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old—, and among first-time students, only 35 out of every 100 reported permanent residence in the school’s state. Most, then, come from outside Georgia.
Here is a figure worth looking at directly, without embellishment: 3 out of every 100 undergraduate students reported being Hispanic or Latino. That is among the lowest proportions among the 941 selective private schools in this census that report this measure —nine out of ten of those schools report a higher proportion.
Having few Latinos does not make the school bad, nor would having many make it good. The figure counts who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child would be among the few, the right question is not “should I rule it out?” but “what is here so they do not feel alone?” —what student group, what cultural center, who in the office speaks Spanish. You find that out by talking with someone already studying there, not by reading a report.
How academics work
The academic year at Covenant College is organized into two semesters of about 15 weeks. The school accepts AP exam credit —it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience— and it also enrolls high school students in college-credit courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Saying it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam at every score. Ask for the credit-equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling, and do not count those savings in your budget until you have it in hand.
In one year, Covenant College awarded 155 bachelor’s degrees, spread across 16 program families, with none taking a large share: the most common, social sciences, accounted for only 17 out of every 100 degrees. Among the 942 selective private schools in this census that report this measure, Covenant falls in the quarter that awards the fewest degrees per year. With numbers this small, the count can move considerably from one year to the next —ask for the last three years of the exact program your child is interested in; do not settle for a snapshot of just one.
The official student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. It is a low ratio in absolute terms, and even so, compared with similar schools, it is above the median —half of that group reports the same ratio or a lower one. Both things are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of a classroom: that is not in this measure.
Academic paths the institution reports
Covenant College states that it offers these structured pathways: study abroad, noncredit developmental education, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the opportunity to complete preparation there in certain teacher-specialization areas, and state approval of its initial teacher-certification program. If your child’s program intersects with any of these paths, it is worth asking about the specific program details.
Getting into Covenant College: what it requires and what helps
Covenant College does not have open admissions. Of the nine considerations it reviews when deciding —not counting standardized tests or legacy status—, it marks five as required: high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and English-proficiency examination for those to whom it applies. At this college, it is not enough just to assemble documents: your child has to write an essay.
Other pieces are not required but do count if submitted: class rank, completion of the curriculum the college recommends, work experience, and whether someone in the family attended there. This last one —legacy— is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply in your case, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within their control.
The application fee is $35.
And how selective is it in practice? In the 2023 cycle, of 751 first-time applicants, 614 received an offer of admission: 82 out of every 100. Among the 942 selective private schools in this census, that figure falls in the middle of the table, a little above halfway. Seven or eight out of ten received a yes. That does not make it automatic, but it does give your child a real reason to apply without leaving it until the last minute. And remember: this figure is from a single cycle. When it is your child’s turn, check the number for the year they apply.
Of those admitted, how many ultimately enroll there? About half: 40 out of every 100 in 2023. Compared with similar schools, that is a high proportion —at most of those schools, a smaller share enrolls. But this number does not measure quality or satisfaction; it only counts how many admitted students enrolled that fall. When admission letters arrive, this is not what decides anything: place the offers side by side and compare net price, program, and distance.
As for tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child sends them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid just the same. Of those who enrolled, 35 out of every 100 did submit SAT scores —one of the highest proportions among colleges of its type. Among them, the middle half scored between 590 and 710 in reading and writing, and between 540 and 680 in math. But pay attention: those ranges are for students who enrolled and submitted scores, not for all applicants. That 590 is not a minimum, and that 710 guarantees nothing.
And regarding leaving: of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking bachelor’s degrees, 22 out of every 100 transferred without finishing there and enrolled at another school. Transferring is not failure. It is wise for your child to know in advance how to request the paperwork to do it, if necessary.
The sticker price and what is actually paid
At Covenant College, among 17 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $18,897. Among 26 students from the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $22,783; among 56 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $29,241. For dependent students, the band adds their parents’ income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lower-income band (17 students) and that for the highest band (56 students) is $10,344. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $25,471.
$18,897 was the average net price for lower-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps determine whether it is worth requesting the aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The figure that matters is the aid letter that arrives for you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Scholarships, Pell, and loans: who provides what
At Covenant College, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is normal here, not the exception. Among those who received it, the average was $26,307 for the year —although within that average are people who received much more and people who received much less.
Now, an important distinction: Pell, the federal grant for lower-income families, reached only 19 out of every 100 students. That means at least 80 out of every 100 received aid from another source —from the school itself, the state, or another program, without the report saying exactly which one. Ask directly: who provides that scholarship, who qualifies, and what is needed to renew it each year.
Regarding loans: 41 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022–23. That is less than half, and compared with similar schools, Covenant is on the lower side —seven out of ten of those schools had a higher proportion of students with loans. Of those who did borrow, each received $6,123 on average that year.
There are students here who went through the year without debt and students who borrowed. Which group your child falls into is not decided by this percentage: it is decided by the financial-aid letter they receive, in writing. And that average of $6,123 is for only one year, and only for federal loans in the student’s name —it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt with which someone leaves upon graduating; that would require adding several years, and that number is not in this report.
The institution also reports a tuition installment-payment plan, if that helps organize the year’s cash flow.
Living there: campus, sports, and support
Covenant College does have its own housing, but it does not require all first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. IPEDS reports capacity for 902 students in institutionally controlled housing. The existence of housing does not guarantee a bed for your child: ask in writing for this year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or you enter a waiting list.
The report confirms Army ROTC; Navy and Air Force are not marked. If your child is interested in another branch, ask directly —not confirmed is not the same as impossible.
Covenant competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. If your child plays, write directly to the coach: ask whether there is room, what division that sport competes in, and whether it offers athletic scholarships.
Regarding online education: the institution says it offers it at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count, zero undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance. All took at least one in-person class. If your child needs a fully online program, confirm it directly with the school before assuming one exists.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary loan. The institution also reports academic and career counseling services, employment for current students, placement for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a page dedicated to services for students with disabilities.
Do they stay? Do they graduate? What the cohorts show
Here we come to the part that may weigh most heavily on a family’s mind: if they enroll, do they finish?
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022, 87 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar schools, Covenant is in the upper part. It is a high figure —but it combines two distinct groups without separating them, and it does not say what happened to the rest.
As for graduation itself: of the cohort that entered in 2017, 71 out of every 100 had their degree in hand six years later. In four years, the figure falls to 62 out of every 100 —a difference of 9 points worth keeping in mind if the family plan depends on a tight schedule. Compared with similar schools, Covenant is in the top quarter: three out of every four schools in that group report an equal or lower proportion.
A high number is not a promise for your particular child. It is what happened to the cohort of 2017. What is within your control is making sure they enter with their credits in order and know from the first semester who their adviser is and when courses in their program are registered for.
Finally, a longer-term figure: following a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016, at the eight-year mark, 72 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this institution. Among those who received Pell Grants, the figure was 74 out of every 100 —almost the same, although that does not mean the path was identical. Compared with similar schools, Covenant is above the median. Again: this is an earlier cohort, not a prediction about your child. It is more worthwhile to ask about the program’s current supports than to cling to this historical number.
What this article cannot tell you
There is no information in the official data this institution reports about what a graduate earns, whether they find employment, or how much total debt they carry when leaving with a degree. That simply is not in what Covenant College reports to the federal government, so I am not going to make it up here.
Putting the pieces together
You now know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need to decide: what Covenant College is, what it requires, what it costs on paper and what it tends to cost in practice, and what happened to the cohorts that have already gone through it.
The other two pieces are not in any government report. One is what your child wants to study, what they have built so far, and how far away they imagine living while studying. The other is what your family can truly pay, and is willing to pay, once the aid letter arrives with real numbers rather than averages from other families.
I cannot give you either one. But with this piece now on the table, the conversation in your home can begin from firmer ground: not guessing, but knowing exactly what to ask.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Covenant College to the U.S. Department of Education through the IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding mainly to the years 2022–23 and 2023–24, as well as from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Best College Aid does not represent Covenant College or any federal government agency.