Rhodes College has earned a spot on America’s Top Colleges List 2026 recently released by Forbes. The list features 500 schools that demonstrate career readiness, strong post-graduation employment rates, and impressive alumni earnings.

Rhodes College students and alumni with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher will receive automatic admission to the Master of Public Service program at the University of Arkansas’ Clinton School of Public Service for the 2026-27 academic year, thanks to a new agreement between the schools.

The Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities at Rhodes College will present a free public lecture on Sept. 18 by Dr. Danielle Allen, the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation.

A former men's head golf coach who established Rhodes as one of the top men’s golf programs in NCAA Division III and six outstanding alumni will be inducted into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.

Rhodes College has had a long and storied history since its founding more than 175 years ago. Twenty years ago, the college started an exciting new chapter with the grand opening of the Paul Barret, Jr. Library on Aug. 23, 2005. At a cost of $42 million, the library remains the largest construction project in the college's history. Its award-winning design is a phenomenal expression of the campus’ signature Collegiate Gothic style, filled with functional and inspiring spaces connecting academic and student life.

Rhodes College, established in 1848 in Clarksville, TN, and a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences institution, is celebrating 100 years in Memphis, TN. The college moved to its current location under the leadership of then president Dr. Charles E. Diehl, and classes began on Sept. 24, 1925, with 406 students and 16 faculty. In recent history, Rhodes has enrolled approximately 2,000 students each year. Students admitted for fall 2025 hail from 45 states plus the District of Columbia and 64 countries, with 20 percent of this year’s entering class coming from Memphis and Shelby County.

“On behalf of our esteemed faculty, dedicated staff, and committed Trustees, I am delighted to welcome you—the great Class of 2029—to Rhodes College,” said Rhodes President Jennifer Collins on Aug. 15 at Opening Convocation, which is an annual ceremony to mark a new academic session. The first day of classes is Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Dr. Susan Satterfield, professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Rhodes College, was presented the 2025 Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service on Aug. 15 at the college’s Opening Convocation. The letters of nomination that the award committee received commended Satterfield’s work and described her as a highly regarded faculty leader who has led multiple academic programs, served on and chaired major faculty committees and task forces, and committed herself to student achievement and success.

Rhodes College ranks No. 6 for “Most Beautiful Campus” in the top 25 category of The Princeton Review’s The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition. Rhodes also is one of the schools in the South in the guide’s “2026 Best Colleges: Region by Region” web feature.

Rhodes College welcomes eight new full-time faculty to its ranks for the 2025-2026 academic year, bringing talent in a number of specialties, from chemistry to interdisciplinary humanities to computer science.