Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

The college fields varsity teams in eleven men's and ten women's sports.

[10][11] The student body was organized into a corps of cadets and fought with Confederate forces near Salem in December 1863.

[12] The students were outmatched and quickly forced to surrender, but the Union commander paroled them and allowed them to return to their studies.

[12] The college company was formally mustered into the Confederate Army, Virginia Reserves, on September 1, 1864, but the students did not see combat before the war ended.

A small number of non-degree-seeking women, mostly from Elizabeth College in Salem, were previously enrolled.

Roanoke's student body represents numerous religious denominations; Roman Catholicism is the most prevalent, and Lutherans total less than ten percent.

[21] For 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Roanoke tied for #130 out of 211 National Liberal Arts Colleges and #167 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.

[26] Roanoke is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration.

Honors students are offered numerous special learning experiences including plays, lectures, concerts, and service projects.

The blue shield on the seal emblazoned with a gold cross represents the College's strong history and relationship with the Christian church.

The motto, "Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat", means in English, "Let he who earns the palm bear it".

Roanoke has a tenure-track faculty of 164 (95% hold the highest degrees in their fields) plus a variety of adjunct professors selected from the business, political, and other communities for their subject matter expertise.

[31] Roanoke and nearby Hollins University have a reciprocal borrowing agreement, expanding the size of the library collection by another 300,000 items.

It was purchased in the mid-1950s by John P. Fishwick, president of the Norfolk and Western Railway and a Roanoke & Harvard Law School alumnus, and was acquired by the college in 1968.

Houses for Kappa Alpha Order, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Lambda Phi and Sigma Chi are on Elizabeth Campus along with Elizabeth Hall, a large residence hall with apartments for non-freshman students.

[55] Roanoke had leased the bank building for several years preceding the purchase and will continue to use it for academic purposes.

Roanoke's most recent major project opened in 2016; the Morris M. Cregger Center is a multi-purpose athletic and recreation center with a 2,500 seat performance arena (basketball and volleyball), a 200-meter indoor track and field facility, athletic department and faculty offices, classrooms, fitness facilities, and a sports medicine clinic.

Roanoke, in anticipation of future growth, has purchased a significant number of private homes on Market Street adjacent to campus, which will provide land for expansion.

[63] Roanoke competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball (starting in 2022–23) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

The Maroons will begin play as NCAA Division III Independents in 2024 becoming full ODAC members in 2025.

In 2001, Roanoke student Casey Smith won an individual national championship in the Division III women's 10,000m track and field event.

[16] Yerkes is the most decorated athlete ever to graduate from Roanoke, earning 12 All-American honors in multiple events.