I am going to walk through those numbers with you. Not to tell you whether Morehouse is "the right one" for your child—that is not something an article can decide; you decide it with him and with what his life and your budget allow—but so you truly understand what kind of institution it is, what it requires, what it costs, and what it promises and does not promise you.
Who Morehouse College is and where it is located
Let us start with the basics. Morehouse is a private, nonprofit, four-year college whose highest reported degree is a bachelor's degree. The Carnegie classification system—the one the government uses to organize U.S. colleges by what they do—describes it as a small, highly residential liberal arts and sciences college: in that system's most recent data, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. It also places it in its selective-admission group.
What does "highly residential" mean for your budget? It means the cost of living on campus is almost never included in the big number you see in the tuition brochure. It is charged separately. If your child will live there, ask for that number separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
Morehouse is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County, within the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area. The census code places it in a large city of 250,000 residents or more. That does not tell you how to get to campus from where your family lives or what is available to live near it—those are questions you have to ask yourself. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the exact time of his classes. The real travel time is almost never what the map says.
There is something else that defines Morehouse before any admission or cost figure: it is designated as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). In the most recent federal file, out of 3,012 institutions in that census, only 76 have that designation. That designation tells you where the school comes from and the mission on which it was founded. It does not tell you whom it admits today or how your child will experience life there. Do not read it as a quality verdict, either for or against. What does matter is what has a name and a face: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April. Ask about that directly.
A small community, and a very particular composition
Morehouse had 2,738 students enrolled in the most recent official count, all undergraduate students—there is no graduate enrollment there. It is a medium size within the landscape of similar selective private colleges: neither among the large nor the small ones, but rather among those in the middle.
And here is something your family needs to know plainly, without embellishment: the percentage of students reported as Hispanic or Latino at Morehouse rounds to zero. A rounded zero does not mean there is no one—it means almost no one. Compared with 941 similar selective private schools that report this data, Morehouse is among those reporting it at the lowest level: nine out of ten of those schools reported a larger proportion.
I am not telling you this to condemn the school or inflate it. Having few Latino students does not make it bad, just as having many would not make any other school good. This data tells you who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child will be among the few, the question worth asking is what student groups exist, what support is available, and—if you can—speaking with a student who is there right now before deciding. The number is for the entire school; his experience in his specific major may look different.
There is another data point that also defines Morehouse structurally: the percentage of women in undergraduate enrollment rounds to zero. Again, a rounded zero does not mean none; it means almost none. And among students between 25 and 64 years old—those who often return to school as adults—only 13 out of every 100 are part of the undergraduate student body. As for where incoming students came from, the federal report simply does not include that data for this school in the most recent cycle. It is not there, and it is not invented.
Academics: calendar, degrees, and how much attention there really is
Morehouse organizes its year by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It accepts AP exam credits, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. It also enrolls high school students in credit-bearing college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is a hard truth worth stating plainly: saying it accepts AP does not mean it gives credit for every exam or every score. We do not know how many points it requires or whether those credits will count toward your child's specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before he enrolls. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for degrees: in the last reported year, Morehouse awarded 398 bachelor's degrees, distributed across 18 program families. The largest family, by far, was business and administration: 128 of those 398 degrees, or 32 out of every 100. It is a real concentration, but 18 program families with a row in the report are not 18 complete majors or 18 guaranteed options—a program family groups several majors, and a row may report zero. Verify the exact program your child is interested in before assuming it exists there.
Regarding attention in the classroom: Morehouse's official ratio is 13 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a low figure in absolute terms. But compared with similar selective private schools, it is above the median: half or more of that group report the same ratio or a lower one. Both things are true at the same time, which is why I am telling you them separately. What this number does not tell you is the actual size of a first-year classroom—that figure does not exist in this report.
It is worth noting that the institution reports structured academic opportunities beyond the classroom: study abroad, teacher-certification preparation, and the possibility of completing certain preparation in specific teacher-specialization areas at another institution.
Getting into Morehouse: what they require and what really happens
This is where many families become nervous, so let us take it slowly and use the exact numbers.
Morehouse does not have open admission. Of the nine items the federal government records as admission considerations, Morehouse marked four as required: the high school record, high school grade-point average, personal essay, and letters of recommendation. Put simply: at this college, gathering documents is not enough. The essay is required, so your child has to sit down to write, and write well.
There are other items that are not required but are considered if you submit them: class rank, whether he completed the course plan the college requires, work experience, English-proficiency testing for those to whom it applies, and whether someone in the family attended there. On that last point—legacy status—I want to be direct: it is something your child cannot change. If it is not his situation, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within his control: the essay, the letters, the record.
The published application fee is $50.
Now for the numbers showing how selective it is in practice. In the most recent cycle, Morehouse received 5,610 first-time applications. It offered admission to 2,883. That is 51 out of every 100—almost half. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, Morehouse is on the more demanding side: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, admitted a higher percentage of applicants. It is not an automatic process, and it is not a lottery. Applications are reviewed.
But admitting is not the same as enrolling, and here is a fact that surprises many families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 24 ended up enrolling at Morehouse that fall. The other 76 had an acceptance in hand and did not take it. Compared with similar schools, this proportion is among the most common—neither high nor low, in the middle. And do not read it as a mark against the school: the fact that most admitted students choose somewhere else does not mean Morehouse is bad. The federal record does not explain why each person made the decision they made. What others did does not tell you what they will offer you. Wait for your own letter, with your own net price, and decide with that number in hand.
Regarding standardized tests: Morehouse reported that the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application proceeds just the same. Fewer than 1 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted an SAT score. There is ACT data among those who submitted it: the median was 20. There is also the option to submit another type of test, such as Wonderlic or WISC, which is also optional. The fact that so few submitted SAT scores does not tell us whether the school uses them for admission, scholarships, or nothing—those are different questions this data does not answer.
One final data point about student movement: of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor's degree, 20 out of every 100 transferred to another school without finishing at Morehouse. Changing schools is not failure. But if there is a possibility that your child may need to move, it is worth knowing beforehand how to request records and which credits would be recognized elsewhere—that does not appear in this data; you have to request it in writing.
The list price: $51,623 per year
At Morehouse College, among 132 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $32,679. Among 90 students in the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $37,266; among 116 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $39,174. For dependent students, the band adds their parents' income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lower-income band (132 students) and that for the highest band (116 students) is $6,495. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $34,733.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this data with the same time coverage, this one falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the aid letter before deciding.
An average does not tell you how different cases were within that band; this data cannot establish that there were families far below or above the published figure. The income bands on this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants.
Scholarships, Pell, and loans: how the payment comes together
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Morehouse, 77 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Compared with similar selective private schools, this proportion falls in the quarter where scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the yearly average was $18,533.
In addition, 44 out of every 100 received a Pell Grant—the federal aid for students with demonstrated financial need. Remember: the percentage and the average do not share a denominator. The percentage is calculated over all students; the average, only over those who received aid. They are not multiplied by each other.
Now for the debt portion, and here I want to be especially clear because this is where families are most often confused. In the most recently reported academic year, 60 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Morehouse received a federal student loan. Of those who borrowed, each received an average of $6,725 that year. If your child borrowed something similar in each of the four years, the total would be around $26,900—not counting interest, and not including loans parents might take separately, such as PLUS loans, credit cards, or bank debt. That figure is also not the total debt with which someone graduates; for that, all years would have to be added, and that data does not exist in this report.
Here, financing with debt is common, not the exception. Do the full calculation before your child signs anything. That percentage speaks about other families, not yours—what your child would have to borrow comes from his own financial-aid letter. Wait for that letter before committing.
Morehouse also reports a tuition installment payment plan, for families that prefer to divide the cost throughout the year instead of paying it all at once.
Campus life, ROTC, sports, and format
Morehouse does have institution-controlled housing, with reported capacity for 1,544 students. It is not required that all first-time students live there—that denies a universal requirement, although a specific program could have its own rule. It also offers meal plans, but the number of meals per week varies according to the plan you choose. Request in writing this year's rate, the deadline to apply for a room, and whether they guarantee you a space or place you on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC: Morehouse reported that there is an opportunity, with two branches marked—Army and Navy. The Air Force is not marked. Being in the report does not mean the program is necessarily taught on this campus or tell you capacity, scholarships, or requirements—you have to ask about it by name before building a plan around that option.
In sports, Morehouse competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not your child: if he is interested in competing, contact that sport's coach directly and ask whether there is a spot on the team and whether that discipline offers an athletic scholarship.
Regarding distance education: 11 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load fully online; the other 89 took at least one in-person class. Morehouse also reports that it offers at least one complete program that can be completed at a distance—but it is worth confirming the exact level and major before assuming it applies to what your child wants to study.
Finally, Morehouse reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military personnel, and a published services page for people with disabilities. The fact that these services exist in the report does not by itself establish their quality or real effectiveness—that is verified by asking about and using them.
Do they stay and graduate? The persistence numbers
There is a story here with two sides, and both are true at the same time.
Of the cohort that entered in the most recently reported fall, 86 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Morehouse or had already graduated one year later. That figure—called the retention rate—is high compared with 930 similar selective private schools: Morehouse is in the upper part of that group. It is a strong sign that those who start there mostly do not leave in the first year.
But retention is not the same as graduation, and here the picture changes. Of the students who entered a bachelor's degree program in 2017, 53 out of every 100 graduated from Morehouse within six years. At four years, the timeline most families budget for, the figure falls to 36 out of every 100—seventeen points lower. Compared with 920 similar selective private schools, Morehouse is below half of the group in six-year graduation.
Put plainly: out of every 100 students in that cohort, 53 finished with a Morehouse degree in six years, and 47 did not finish there. It is almost half and half. The report does not tell you why the other half does not appear with a degree—they may have transferred, taken longer, or left school. Before deciding, ask directly what concrete support exists to help a student finish on time, and how long the specific major your child is interested in actually tends to take. That fifth year, if it comes, must be paid for too.
Expanding the window to eight years, with a different cohort that includes both first-time students and students with prior college experience: 50 out of every 100 had a Morehouse degree or certificate at the final measurement point. Within that group, students who received a Pell Grant graduated at a rate of 44 out of every 100—fifteen points below those who did not receive Pell. Compared with 935 similar schools, Morehouse falls in the bottom quarter on this eight-year measure.
If your family would qualify for Pell, this does not determine what will happen to your child—it is a historical pattern from a cohort that entered years ago. But it is a question worth asking the school directly: which counselor would be assigned to him, what emergency aid exists, and whether institutional aid renews automatically each year or requires qualifying again. And ask them to answer you in writing.
How all of this comes together
You now know Morehouse College in a depth few parents reach before sitting down with their child to decide: you know how it admits, what its list price is, what families with income similar to yours actually pay, how most students finance their education with loans, and how likely it is—according to historical numbers—that a student will stay and graduate.
None of these numbers decides for you. An average net price is not the letter your child will receive. A graduation rate does not predict whether your specific child will finish there. What you can do is bring this piece—what Morehouse really is and offers—together with the other two that only you and your child have: what he wants to study and what he has already built, and what your family can and is willing to pay. From that combination, and not from a single number, comes a real plan.
Your child is responsible for writing the essay, sending in his documents, deciding which major he wants, and taking responsibility for his part of the path. You are responsible for understanding the money, requesting the financial-aid letter before committing to anything, and supporting him as he crosses a system that probably neither of you fully inherited. You do not have to do it for him. You do it with him.
The information in this article comes from data reported by Morehouse College to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding mainly to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Morehouse College or the U.S. government; this article does not replace official information or the financial-aid letter the school itself sends to your family.