Non-Profit Private
Accredited · Higher Learning Commission
Nevada, Missouri
66.3% Acceptance Rate
Cottey College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
66.3%Acceptance Rate
3.39Avg GPA
1190Avg SAT
19Avg ACT
$36,726Annual Cost
$35,422Grad Salary
45.3%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
66.3%
Avg GPA
3.39
Avg SAT
1190
Avg ACT
19
Selectivity
Somewhat Selective
Institution Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission
SAT Middle 50%
1150–1220
ACT Middle 50%
14–24
Need-Based Aid
45.3% receive Pell
Cottey College, founded in 1884, is one of America's few remaining women's colleges with strong international programs. The Nevada, Missouri campus includes the new Center for the Arts. Cottey's 'Global Perspective' requirement includes study abroad opportunities.
Cottey College Acceptance Rate
Cottey College takes a broad view of applicants, admitting about 66.3% each year.
What Cottey College Admissions Looks For
- Whole-Person Review: Personal circumstances and career goals are weighed alongside grades.
- Flexible on GPA: Strong extracurriculars or work experience can offset an average transcript.
Selectivity at a Glance
Somewhat Selective
Selectivity scale: Somewhat Selective — 66.3% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.39 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.19 – 3.38
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 2.94
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
Cottey College Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
Cottey College follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline.
Key Admission Dates
Rolling Admissions — Apply Anytime
Cottey College reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
💡 The scholarship deadline (February 1, 2027) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Cottey College GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at Cottey College is 3.39. That makes admissions here competitive, but not extremely selective. Most admitted students carry a mix of A's and B's.
In the 3.09–3.39 range, a high SAT or ACT score still carries real weight.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently. For an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 3.59–3.79.Cottey College GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Holistic review is critical for admission.
Recommended Strategy: Requires Contextual Factors (Leadership, hardship, or talent).
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.39 – 4.00
Strategic Reach
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.19 – 3.38
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
2.99 – 3.18
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 2.98
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- First-year admission requires no personal essay, no letter of recommendation, and no application fee; it's test-optional with a 2.6 minimum GPA and a college-prep curriculum (4 years English, 2 history/government, 3 math/science/foreign language).
- Owned and operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood since 1927 - the only nonsectarian college in the U.S. owned and operated by women; P.E.O. affiliation is not required to receive P.E.O.-funded scholarships, but a local chapter's recommendation letter often is.
- A funded, required international study trip is built into the sophomore year (past destinations include Rome, London, Florence, Madrid).
- Priority deadline for merit scholarships and financial aid review is December 31; science-major and fine-arts scholarships (the latter requiring a portfolio or audition) carry a February 1 priority deadline.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Cottey College
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Cottey College's verified institutional data
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Cottey College Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if Cottey College is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into Cottey College Without SAT or ACT?
Cottey College considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt. Most applicants test 2–3 times.
Cottey College Average SAT Score: 1190
The average SAT score of admitted students at Cottey College is 1190 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1190 — Less Competitive
This average is slightly below the national mean SAT score.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1220 SAT or 24 ACT) to stand out. Below average? Cottey College allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
If your score is below 1150, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at Cottey College. Retaking multiple times is completely normal. Most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | - | - | - |
| SAT Reading | - | - | - |
| SAT Composite | 1190 | 1150 | 1220 |
Below 1150, you're behind most admitted students; at 1220 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1200
Can I get into Cottey College with a 1200 SAT?
A 1200 SAT puts you ahead of most of Cottey College's admitted class, but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
Cottey College ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at Cottey College is 19.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 19 — Less Competitive
This average is slightly below the national ACT mean.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 17 | 15 | 19 |
| ACT English | 20 | 15 | 25 |
| ACT Composite | 19 | 14 | 24 |
Can I get into Cottey College with a 24 ACT?
A 24 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of Cottey College's admitted students. That's a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several that admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section, especially Science at STEM-focused schools, stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at Cottey College.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Cottey College
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Cottey College is accessible to students who show core competency. Focus on proving readiness for college-level work and locking in financial aid.
Proactively Secure a Local P.E.O. Chapter Sponsorship - Even Without Any P.E.O. Affiliation
Many state and local P.E.O.-funded Cottey scholarships (some worth $10,000 or more) require a recommendation letter from a sponsoring local P.E.O. chapter, but a student does not need any P.E.O. affiliation herself to qualify. Since the college doesn't arrange this, have the family proactively contact P.E.O. International's "Contact Us" page, ask the high school counselor whether any chapter has visited about Cottey or the P.E.O. STAR Scholarship, or ask around at church and community groups to find a sponsoring chapter well before senior year.
Book a Campus Visit Before Enrolling to Lock In an Automatic Scholarship
Any student who visits campus prior to enrolling automatically qualifies for a $1,500/year scholarship for up to four years - this isn't merit- or need-based, just action-based, and it's easy for a family focused on grades and essays to overlook entirely. Schedule the visit as a concrete to-do item, not an optional nicety.
Redirect Essay-Writing Energy Toward the Scholarship Layer, Not the Admission Itself
Cottey's own first-year application requires no personal essay and no letter of recommendation - so families shouldn't spend disproportionate energy polishing an admissions essay that isn't required. Instead, put that effort into the essays and reference letters that state/local P.E.O. Cottey scholarship funds do require (commonly a 250-500 word essay on educational plans plus two outside references), since that's where a written case actually gets evaluated.
Plan Around the Mandatory Funded Sophomore Study-Abroad Trip From the Start
Cottey funds and requires a second-year international study trip (destinations have included Rome, London, Florence, Madrid, and others) as a core part of the curriculum, not an elective add-on. Families should factor passport timing and any major-specific elective planning around this required sophomore-year travel component into their four-year plan from the outset, rather than treating it as a surprise scheduling conflict later.
Expert Insight:
Because Cottey's own admission process requires no essay and no recommendation letter, families often assume there's nothing more to do once the basic application is submitted - but the real financial opportunity at Cottey lives almost entirely in the P.E.O. chapter-sponsored scholarship layer, which requires proactively finding and being recommended by a local P.E.O. chapter, something the admissions office itself does not arrange, track, or remind families about.
Cottey College Profile
Full Name
Cottey College
City
Nevada
State
Missouri
ZIP Code
64772
Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission (NCACHE)
Is a Cottey College Degree Worth It?
Cottey College offers a rigorous academic environment, but 'worth it' is a personal calculation of cost, program fit, and outcomes. The figures below are a starting point.
The average household income among admitted students is $61,300, with a graduate unemployment rate of 3.16%.
How much does a degree from Cottey College Cost?
The sticker price is $36,726/year, but the average net price students actually pay, after Pell and federal grants, is typically much lower.
45.3% of students receive a Pell Grant and 56.3% take federal loans at Cottey College. File your FAFSA early and list Cottey College as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a Cottey College Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $35,422. That's somewhat below the U.S. median graduate income of $40,595.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Cottey College. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, AL | 1148 | 23 |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | 1174 | 25 |
| Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA | 1155 | 22 |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, CO | 1140 | 25 |
| Florida International University | Miami, FL | 1154 | 23 |
| Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA | 1150 | 24 |
| Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA | 1149 | 23 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, GA | 1178 | 25 |
| Toccoa Falls College | Toccoa Falls, GA | 1155 | 23 |
| Chaminade University of Honolulu | Honolulu, HI | 1155 | NA |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Cottey College. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Southern College | Birmingham, AL | 1197 | 24 |
| Harding University | Searcy, AR | 1187 | 25 |
| Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA | 1194 | 26 |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, CT | 1200 | NA |
| University of New Haven | West Haven, CT | 1190 | NA |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Cottey College. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | 1251 | 26 |
| University of Mobile | Mobile, AL | 1220 | 24 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 1261 | 26 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | Prescott, AZ | 1256 | 27 |
| John Brown University | Siloam Springs, AR | 1222 | 26 |
Degree Programs at Cottey College
Bachelor Degree Programs
Associate Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About Cottey College Admissions
Median earnings for Cottey College graduates sit around $35,422 a year.
Cottey College costs roughly $36,726 a year, and most students combine this with scholarships or aid.
About 45.3% receive a Pell Grant at Cottey College. The odds are moderate and largely income-dependent, but an early FAFSA filing still helps.
At 66.3%, Cottey College's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
Admitted students at Cottey College average a 3.39 GPA.
Cottey College doesn't publish a hard GPA floor, but landing at or above 3.09 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 2.99, Cottey College becomes a harder reach, though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at Cottey College — aim above 1190, ideally within the 1150–1220 range admitted students typically fall in.
Cottey College follows Rolling Admissions. Applications are reviewed year-round, so applying early is your best strategy.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is February 1, 2027. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes, transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most, along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
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