Spelman College

Spelman College is a private, historically Black women’s liberal arts college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1881, it is part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium, alongside Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. Spelman offers undergraduate degrees in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and STEM fields, with a strong emphasis on leadership and community engagement. The college enrolls women from across the United States and around the world who are interested in a rigorous liberal arts education grounded in a tradition of social justice and service. As a women’s college, Spelman focuses on the academic and personal development of Black women and prepares graduates for careers, graduate study, and civic involvement.

Spelman College was founded in 1881 in Atlanta, Georgia, as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, two educators from Massachusetts. Established to educate newly freed African American women after the Civil War, the school began in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church. In 1884, it was renamed Spelman Seminary in honor of Laura Spelman Rockefeller, whose family supported the institution. In 1924, the institution officially became Spelman College, reflecting its expanded collegiate curriculum. In 1929, Spelman joined with Morehouse College and Atlanta University to form what is now the Atlanta University Center Consortium. Throughout the twentieth century, Spelman College expanded its academic programs, strengthened its liberal arts focus, and played a role in the civil rights movement. In recent decades, Spelman College has continued to grow its endowment, facilities, and national profile while maintaining its mission to educate women of African descent.