Admit rate has ranged 49%–71% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Tougaloo College, a small private HBCU in Mississippi, punches far above its weight in producing STEM PhDs and civil rights leaders. With a tight-knit campus culture and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio, it offers an intimate, activist-minded education—though graduation rates lag behind national averages. Its dining hall pop-ups and 'radical joy' campus events reveal a school that takes Black cultural vibrancy as seriously as academic rigor.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
639
In-state tuition
$12,407
Out-of-state tuition
$12,407
Location
Tougaloo, MS
Notable Fact
Top 25 U.S. institution for Black STEM PhDs
Acceptance Rate
59.9% (2024)
Most Popular Major
Biology
Student-Faculty Ratio
9:1
4-Year Graduation Rate
22%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$34,724
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.0×
Median debt at graduation
$30,046
Graduation rate
33%
First-year retention
83%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
36%
Pell (lower-income) share
92%
First-generation share
30%
Endowment / student
$45,255
Financial health
2.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Sociology$22,485
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$18,771
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
Per 1,000 students
0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
97
Summer high
90°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
62"
Annual snow
1.4"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
82
Scholarly works
449
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Tougaloo College?
Tougaloo College's acceptance rate is approximately 60% (Tougaloo, MS), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does Tougaloo College cost?
At Tougaloo College, the average net price (after aid) is about $17,043 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Tougaloo College?
Tougaloo College enrolls approximately 639 undergraduate students.
Where is Tougaloo College located?
Tougaloo College is located in Tougaloo, MS.
Admissions
Tougaloo's admissions process reflects its identity as an accessible HBCU with selective pockets. Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. vary wildly by source—from 7.2% (PrepScholar) to 60% (U.S. News)—but the most recent DataUSA figure shows 59.9% for 2024 (1,397 admits from 2,334 applications). Mid-range ACT scores (16-21 per U.S. News) suggest a student body with academic potential that may not have had elite prep resources. Notably, Tougaloo requires either ACT or SAT scores, bucking the Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. trend, and accepts GED recipients.
This is where Tougaloo shines unexpectedly. With just 27 majors, it ranks among top 25 U.S. institutions for producing PhDs in science/engineering (UNCF). The 9:1 student-faculty ratio enables intense mentorship, particularly in standout programs like biology (the most popular major) and economics. Forty percent of students pursue leadership tracks in humanities or social sciences (Princeton Review). The curriculum balances professional preparation with Tougaloo's as a civil rights incubator—the college hosted pivotal 1960s movement strategy sessions.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
LegacyAn applicant whose parent (or sometimes other close relative) attended the college. Some schools give a small edge to legacy applicants.
Sixty-four percent of students live on campus (U.S. News), creating a cocoon-like community where 'everyone knows your business—in a good way' (Niche reviews). Traditions blend the sacred and the playful: think gospel choir rehearsals giving way to chef-curated 'LuxeLife Dining' pop-ups featuring Mississippi hot tamales. The college leans into its reputation as a 'cradle for creativity' with multi-day arts festivals that transform the campus into an open-air gallery. Greek life exists but doesn't dominate—the real social glue is shared identity as 'Tougalooans.'
The numbers tell a paradoxical story. Tougaloo's 32% graduation rate (Research.com) trails national averages, with only 22% graduating in four years (College Factual). Yet those who persist land solid outcomes: a $25,777 median salary six years post-graduation (U.S. News), notable for a Mississippi liberal arts college. The school excels with dual-enrollment students—an 85% graduation rate for one partner high school program suggests Tougaloo thrives with learners who get early academic exposure.
At $12,158 Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. (BigFuture)—about half the sticker tuition—Tougaloo makes private college feasible for many low-income students. The average aid package totals $8,391, with institutional grants averaging $7,196 (Kolly AI). The financial aid office aggressively pursues outside scholarships, maintaining a searchable database of niche opportunities like the 'Left-Handed Engineers Scholarship.' One catch: the net price calculator warns costs may spike for students who miss aid deadlines.
Tougaloo is the little engine that did: a 154-year-old institution that trained Medgar Evers and still produces more Black STEM PhDs than many Ivy League schools. Its superpower is converting modest incoming ACT scores into intellectual heavyweights—the biology labs hum with undergrad research at 2 AM. Between civil rights archives and spoken-word nights, it treats Mississippi not as a backwater but as a wellspring of Black genius. Just brace for bureaucratic hiccups; this is a college that prioritizes soul over systems.
