What Kind of School It Is, in a Few Words
The federal system that classifies colleges in the United States places Springfield College among doctoral and professional degree institutions. Its undergraduate profile places it in the more selective admissions group and describes it as a small, highly residential four-year school: at the time of that count, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduates lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time.
Being "highly residential" does not determine whether moving is right for your child. And appearing in the "more selective" group does not tell you how many applicants out of every hundred are admitted—that number exists separately and is worth reviewing before your child builds a final college list. Do not let this be the only school on that list.
Springfield College is in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, in Hampden County, within that metropolitan area. That tells you where the point is on the map, not how to get there or how long the actual trip takes: ask the school directly about that. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time your child would have classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map promises.
It is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. The federal system records the doctorate as the highest level it reports offering and classifies it as an institution that awards degrees primarily at the bachelor's level or above. Neither fact tells you whether the specific major that interests your child exists there or whether it connects undergraduate and graduate study. That must be verified program by program.
And one clarification worth its weight in gold: Springfield College is not listed among historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, or land-grant institutions. These are three separate designations with different histories—of the 3,012 colleges in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Springfield College's absence from those lists does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. Investigate that by asking which cultural centers and student organizations exist today and by speaking with someone who already studies there.
The Community's Actual Size and Who Makes It Up
Springfield College had 2,785 students enrolled in the latest official fall count. It is a medium-sized school, neither among the largest nor the smallest, and its size is among the most common when compared with 941 similar selective-admission, private four-year schools.
But that overall number includes graduate students: the undergraduate count is 1,924 and the graduate count is 861. If your child is beginning an undergraduate degree, the number that truly matters is 1,924, not the total.
Among undergraduates reported in fall 2023, the share who are Hispanic or Latino is 9 out of every 100. It is a small minority, and the share falls below the midpoint of the comparison group, though not in its lowest quartile. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good—this figure counts who is enrolled and nothing more. If your child will be one of the few, the task is to ask what groups and support services exist and to speak with a Latino student who is already there before deciding.
There are almost no adult students in this undergraduate population: the share between 25 and 64 years old is only 1 out of every 100. The balance between men and women is nearly even, with women accounting for 49 out of every 100. And using the rounded figure, fewer than half of first-time students—32 out of every 100—had permanent residence in Massachusetts reported. The rest came from other states or other countries, or their residence was not clearly reported—this figure does not separate those three categories, so no more can be claimed than it says.
How Academic Life Is Structured
The academic year at Springfield College is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. In its official report, the school stated that it accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not check the box for credit based on life experience, and it confirmed that it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. It also reports accepting credit for military training.
Saying that AP credit is accepted does not mean credit is granted for every exam. It does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits will count toward your child's exact major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the latest reported year, the school awarded 469 bachelor's degrees across 19 program families. But the distribution was far from even: health professions accounted for 178 of those 469 degrees, or 38 out of every 100. Nineteen families with a row in the report do not mean nineteen majors with active offerings—a family groups multiple programs and may report zero. Verify the exact program that interests your child, using its full name.
The ratio of students to instructional staff, both measured in full-time equivalents, is 11 to 1. It is a low ratio, below the midpoint among comparable schools. But be careful: this aggregate figure does not say how large first-year classes are or exactly how it was calculated. Do not confuse the institutional ratio with the classroom where your child will sit.
Springfield College also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and teacher preparation and certification pathways, including state approval for initial certification.
Getting In: What the Application Requires and How Accessible Admission Really Is
Springfield College does not have open admission. Of nine considerations it reviews, excluding admission tests and legacy status, it marks six as required: a high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory coursework, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, and, when applicable, an English proficiency exam. It also considers, if submitted, class rank, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether someone in your family attended the school. Your child cannot change that last piece; if it does not apply, it is better not to spend energy on it and to focus instead on what is within your child's control.
It is a long application. Each piece takes time to assemble, not just one night. The good news is that the published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Now for the figure that interests you most. In the 2023 cycle, Springfield College had 3,614 first-time applicants and offered admission to 2,538 of them: 70 out of every 100. Seven or eight out of ten received a yes. It is a common percentage among similar schools, slightly below the midpoint of that group. That does not make admission automatic, nor is it a fixed rule: it comes from a single cycle. When it is time for your child to apply, review the figure for the applicable year.
Here is a figure that often surprises people: among those admitted, the share who ultimately enrolled was only 19 out of every 100. Of every five students who receive a yes from this school, roughly one ends up attending. The others had a place there and did not take it. This is not a blemish on the school—receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and the federal record does not explain why each person made a particular choice. What others decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your own letter with your net price, which is what the year will truly cost you, and use that number to decide whether this school stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, Springfield College does not require the SAT or ACT. If your child submits them, the school considers them; if not, the application remains valid just the same. Among students who enrolled, the share submitting SAT scores was only 5 out of every 100—one of the lowest percentages among comparable schools. With such a small sample, totaling only 22, the middle half scored between 530 and 650 in reading and writing and between 540 and 610 in mathematics. With a sample that size, do not treat those figures as a cutoff that must be reached or as a guarantee if your child exceeds them.
As for transfers, the count of students who entered Springfield College for the first time in fall 2023 after studying at another college was 48. The school did not report its transfer-out rate, so that field is blank—it does not mean no one transfers, only that the figure was not reported. If your child enters through that route, ask the school directly how many credits it will accept.
The Sticker Price and What You Might Actually Pay
At Springfield College, among 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 $21,252, and the population count was 41. For the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, the average was $24,226 and the count was 47; for those with EFC family income above $110,000, the average was $32,494 and the count was 224. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose count was 41, and the average for the highest-income band, whose count was 224, is $11,242. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant aid, the average was $29,198.
Even after scholarships and grants were deducted, the average net price for families in the lowest-income band was $21,252 in academic year 2022-23. If that amount does not fit your budget, it is better to see that today than in August.
An average does not show how different the cases within that band were; this figure does not support claiming that some families were far below or above the published amount. The income bands in 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 in-district rate. The overall average with scholarship or grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants.
Aid, Scholarships, and Debt: The Money Map
At Springfield College, practically all degree-seeking students—the rounded figure is 100 out of every 100—receive some kind of scholarship, grant, or financial aid. Among recipients, the annual average was $28,138. It is a substantial amount, but an average hides variation: some received much more and others much less. The Pell Grant, reserved for low-income families, reached 22 out of every 100 students.
None of this is your personal offer. A high average among aid recipients does not guarantee that your aid will be that large. When your letter arrives, look for the amount your family would have to pay out of pocket—that is what should be compared across schools, not the size of the advertised discount.
As for loans, the share of Springfield College undergraduates who received a federal loan in school year 2022-23 was 72 out of every 100. That is a majority, and among similar schools it falls on the high side—seven out of ten of those schools had an equal or lower proportion. Among borrowers, the average amount taken out that year was $6,411. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $25,644, excluding interest.
Financing with debt is common here. But its being common does not determine whether your child will need it—that depends on the aid letter and the difference between the net price and what your family can contribute. Moreover, this average covers only federal loans in the student's name for a single year: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt from banks or credit cards, or the total debt someone has upon graduation. If debt appears in the letter, request the estimated monthly payment before accepting anything.
The institution also reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about in detail if cash flow, rather than the total, is your family's challenge.
Campus Life, Learning Format, and Available Support
Springfield College does have institution-owned housing, although it is not required for all first-time, full-time students—that rules out a universal requirement, not the possibility that a particular program requires it. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by the plan selected. The maximum reported capacity of institutional housing is 1,973. The existence of rooms does not guarantee that a bed will be available: request the year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
It reports ROTC opportunities in two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked. Its being marked in the report does not mean the program is conducted on this particular campus—ask about it by name before building a plan around this path.
There is something curious in the athletics reporting: one component lists the school as affiliated with the NCAA, while in another financial component it stated that it does not participate in intercollegiate athletics. These are answers to different questions in different reports, and they do not agree—the record does not explain why. If athletics is part of your child's plan, request the current season's schedule and the coach's name. Confirm it in writing, not from the label.
As for distance education, the school offers it at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count the share of undergraduates taking their entire course load at a distance was less than 1 out of every 100. And in the specific question about complete distance programs, the school responded that it does not offer one in which every required course can be completed that way. If distance learning is important to your child, confirm the exact level and program.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeds the government-recorded threshold of $100,000. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not tell you whether it has specific databases for your child's major—ask about those by name.
Among the support services it reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and their families, and a published web address for services for people with disabilities.
How Many Stay, How Many Finish, and How Long It Takes
For the cohort that entered in fall 2022 for the first time, attended full time, and sought a bachelor's degree—the cohort size was 525—IPEDS counted 439 as meeting the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. That is 84 out of every 100, a proportion that falls in the upper range compared with similar schools. More stayed than left. But the remaining count, 86, does not reveal those students' actual destinations: not returning is not the same as abandoning higher education, because someone who transferred to another college is counted the same as someone who stopped studying altogether.
As for graduation, IPEDS followed a cohort of full-time, first-time students who began bachelor's degree programs in 2017; the cohort size was 655. By six years, 443 had graduated there: 68 out of every 100. By four years, the figure had already reached 64 out of every 100. The difference from the six-year figure, measured in percentage points, was only 4—a small gap. Compared with similar schools, it is above the group median.
Be clear about whom this calculation follows: only those who entered for the first time and attended full time. It does not include transfer students or those who attended part time. A missing line elsewhere in the calculation does not become zero and does not justify claiming transfer, continuation, a pause, or withdrawal for those not shown as having graduated within that period.
There is also a longer-term view. IPEDS followed a cohort with a count of 639 who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, combining first-time students with those who already had prior postsecondary experience and including both full-time and part-time students. As of August 2023, eight years later, the share who had earned a degree or certificate from Springfield College was 76 out of every 100. That proportion places the school in the highest quartile among comparable schools.
Within that same cohort, among Pell Grant recipients—the federal aid for low-income families—the eight-year completion figure was 69 out of every 100, nine percentage points below the figure for those who did not receive it. A family's qualifying for Pell today does not determine your child's individual outcome. If this matters to you, ask the school what specifically exists for those students: an assigned counselor, emergency aid, and whether the institutional scholarship or grant is renewed each year. And have the school answer in writing.
What Still Belongs to You, Your Child, and the College
You now know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need in order to decide: what Springfield College actually is and what it reports offering. The other two are still missing, and no article can provide them: what your child wants to study and has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay.
Your child's responsibilities are the effort, the essay, the letters of recommendation, and curiosity about the chosen field. Yours are the FAFSA, the aid letter, comparing the actual net price across schools, and asking the questions these figures cannot answer on their own: exactly how much it will cost, what support exists for your child's community, and whether athletics or ROTC actually operates as you expect. The college's role is to admit or deny, offer aid, and, in time, answer in writing what a federal report cannot.
No figure in this article decides whether Springfield College is the right school for your family. What you can do now is combine this piece with the other two and let that combination produce a plan that is your own.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by Springfield College to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Springfield College or the United States government; this article is not a substitute for direct verification with the institution's admissions and financial aid offices.