🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profile (SAT 1110–1320 · ACT 25–31 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students drawn to Social Sciences or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1110, or ACT below 25, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
1,533
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$47,100
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$47,100
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
69.4%
Accessible
SAT middle 50%
1110–1320
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
25–31
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$63,646
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$47,562
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,646
4-year completion
70%
Median debt (completers)
$25,288
Cost of attendance
$65,301
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
29%

💰 True ROI

6.6× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$97,120
$24,280/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$164,084
vs sticker $261,204
10-yr earnings total
$636,460
$63,646/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.5 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Drew University, the average net price is $24,280/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$15,224/yr
Family income $30-48k
$15,697/yr
Family income $48-75k
$20,916/yr
Family income $75-110k
$24,947/yr
Family income $110k+
$35,512/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Drew University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Drew University →

Opens on Drew University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Drew University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Drew University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Social Sciences
74 degrees · 30.0%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
58 degrees · 23.5%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
54 degrees · 21.9%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
4. Psychology
34 degrees · 13.8%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
5. English Language & Literature
27 degrees · 10.9%
Typical career outcomes
Technical Writer $80k Editor $75k Writer / Author $74k Public Relations Specialist $67k
Writing-heavy roles. Variance is huge — corporate technical writers pay 2× journalists.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Drew University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Economics. Bachelor's Degree 17 $33,639 $90,814
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 50 $40,242 $76,232
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. Bachelor's Degree 12 $27,823 $69,293
Political Science and Government. Bachelor's Degree 25 $35,171 $66,965
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 47 $65,997
Sociology. Bachelor's Degree 6 $20,658 $60,261
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 1 $28,961 $59,399
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 28 $24,229 $58,620
English Language and Literature, General. Bachelor's Degree 22 $32,279 $58,452
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Bachelor's Degree 12 $13,710 $38,562

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Drew University

CS degrees (annual)
18
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Drew University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Drew University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Drew University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Drew University.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($29,669 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($26,344 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($25,086 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($24,919 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($24,815 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Stockton University
NJ · Public
88% admit rate (vs 69% here)
Montclair State University
NJ · Public
87% admit rate (vs 69% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Drew University into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →