Sarah Lawrence College — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Expect a high net price across most income brackets.

✅ Best for

Strong academic profile (SAT 1270–1440 · ACT 29–33 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1270, or ACT below 29, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (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

1,530

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$66,862

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$66,862

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

Admit rate

58.9%

Moderately selective

SAT middle 50%

1270–1440

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

29–33

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$53,603

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

$34,251

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$53,603

4-year completion

71%

Median debt (completers)

$27,000

Cost of attendance

$82,467

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

12%

💰 True ROI

3.2× 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)

$165,748

$41,437/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$164,120

vs sticker $329,868

10-yr earnings total

$536,030

$53,603/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

3.1 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 Sarah Lawrence College, the average net price is $41,437/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$29,876/yr

Family income $30-48k

$29,810/yr

Family income $48-75k

$40,869/yr

Family income $75-110k

$35,340/yr

Family income $110k+

$47,810/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 Sarah Lawrence College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Sarah Lawrence College →

Opens on Sarah Lawrence 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 Sarah Lawrence College

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

1. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies

312 degrees · 100.0%

Typical career outcomes

Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k

Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).

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 Sarah Lawrence 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
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.	Bachelor's Degree	318	$25,846	$48,225

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

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Sarah Lawrence 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 Sarah Lawrence 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 Sarah Lawrence College 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