Kenyon College — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Strong target

Selective but achievable for strong students.

✅ Best for

Strong academic profile (SAT 1360–1500 · ACT 31–34 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Students drawn to Social Sciences or English Language & Literature (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1360, or ACT below 31, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
High upfront cost (~$51,432/yr net for families above $110K income) — verify the major's earnings track record before committing

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

1,732

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$71,520

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$71,520

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

30.7%

Selective

SAT middle 50%

1360–1500

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

31–34

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$71,830

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

$46,627

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$71,830

4-year completion

82%

Median debt (completers)

$18,527

Cost of attendance

$87,590

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

10%

💰 True ROI

4.7× 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)

$154,048

$38,512/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$196,312

vs sticker $350,360

10-yr earnings total

$718,300

$71,830/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

2.1 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 Kenyon College, the average net price is $38,512/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$18,242/yr

Family income $30-48k

$26,319/yr

Family income $48-75k

$19,156/yr

Family income $75-110k

$23,757/yr

Family income $110k+

$51,432/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 Kenyon College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Kenyon College →

Opens on Kenyon College'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 Kenyon College

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

1. Social Sciences

118 degrees · 33.3%

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. English Language & Literature

76 degrees · 21.5%

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.

3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

69 degrees · 19.5%

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. Visual & Performing Arts

52 degrees · 14.7%

Typical career outcomes

Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k

Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

5. Psychology

39 degrees · 11.0%

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.

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 Kenyon College

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	61	$58,082	$103,791
International/Globalization Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	21	—	$72,305
Fine and Studio Arts.	Bachelor's Degree	23	$23,082	$53,620
English Language and Literature, General.	Bachelor's Degree	70	$29,962	$52,945

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

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Kenyon College 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 Kenyon College

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 Kenyon College doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

University of Alabama in Huntsville

AL · Public

39 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