Roanoke College is an independent, private, coeducational, four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The college is located in Salem, Virginia, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. Established in 1842, Roanoke is the second oldest Lutheran-affiliated college in the United States.

Roanoke has approximately 2,100 students (55% female, 45% male) who represent approximately 40 states and 25 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 30 minors, 23 concentrations, and pre-professional programs in law, medicine, dentistry, engineering, and ministry. Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society.

Roanoke is an NCAA Division III school competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The college fields varsity teams in nine men's and ten women's sports. Roanoke's athletic nickname is Maroons and the mascot is Rooney, a maroon-tailed hawk.

Roanoke is ranked 7th, tied with the University of Richmond, on the 2011 U.S. News and World Report list of Up and Coming National Liberal Arts Colleges; overall Roanoke is ranked 158th, a Tier 1 national liberal arts college. Roanoke is also on the U.S. News and World Report list of colleges that award the most merit-based financial aid; 31% of Roanoke students receive merit-based assistance.

In March 2011, the Princeton Review announced Roanoke will be included in "The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition", which will be available in bookstores in August 2011. The listing represents the top ten percent of all colleges and universities in the United States and recognizes Roanoke's advancement as a national liberal arts college. The Princeton Review previously listed Roanoke among the "Best in the Southeast".