Sarah Lawrence College
Bronxville, New York · Private Nonprofit · 61.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 37/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY is a selective private liberal arts college whose ROI score of 37 places it in the Poor Value tier on a strict cost-versus-earnings basis - but the score deserves real context. The fundamentals SLC excels at are visible in the data: a 71.3% six-year completion rate (one of the strongest signals on our dashboard), an 85.1% three-year repayment rate (graduates pay down principal aggressively), and a median federal debt of $27,000 - restrained for a school of this profile. What drags the score is the cost-to-early-earnings gap. Sticker tuition is $66,862, net price is $41,437, and four-year out-of-pocket runs $165,748 - among the highest in our dataset. Median earnings six years after entry are just $31,400, climbing to $53,603 by the ten-year mark. The early-career earnings figure substantially undersells SLC's actual graduate trajectory: students from this LAC funnel disproportionately into writing, arts, social-impact nonprofits, publishing, and graduate school, where early-career earnings are structurally low but mid-career and lifetime earnings curve up steeply. The Scorecard's six-year snapshot captures the trough, not the trajectory. The 16.4-year payback period and 0.86 debt-to-earnings ratio are real numbers, but for SLC's specific student funnel - many of whom go on to law, medicine, MFA programs, and creative careers - the data alone tells an incomplete story.
The data raises concerns about Sarah Lawrence College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score37/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- Payback period16.4 years - Most 4-year schools we track have payback periods of 4-10 years.
Sarah Lawrence College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $66,862/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $66,862/yr |
| Average net price | $41,437/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $165,748 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $53,603 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,530 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $66,862/year. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $41,437/year, or roughly $165,748 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $29,876/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $47,810/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $27,000 in federal loans, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $53,603 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.86, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $29,876 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $29,810 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $40,869 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $35,340 |
| $110,001+ | $47,810 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $29,876 net - a meaningful institutional aid commitment that brings the price down by about $37,000 from sticker. For Pell-eligible students this still represents roughly 100% of household income for a single year, but SLC's strong financial-aid posture is real. The four-year burden of about $120,000 is heavy; students should compare against full-need-met peers like Vassar or Wesleyan if admitted.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$30,001-48,000 pays $29,810 (essentially flat with the lowest band) and $48,001-75,000 jumps to $40,869 - an $11,000 step-up that compresses middle-income aid sharply. $75,001-110,000 settles back to $35,340, an inverted bracket pattern likely reflecting merit-aid stacking for academically strong students at the upper-middle band. Middle-income families should run the SLC net price calculator carefully because the bracket structure is non-monotonic.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $47,810 - the highest bracket, close to but not at sticker. Four-year cost approaches $191,000 for full-pay families. The ROI math is challenging on a pure earnings-versus-cost basis, but for families whose calculus includes graduate-school placement, creative-career networks, and the New York metro location, SLC's value proposition extends beyond what the numbers capture.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Sarah Lawrence College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $48,225 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences is effectively the only reported program at SLC, with 312 graduates - consistent with the school's interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary curriculum that resists traditional CIP categorization. First-year earnings of $25,846 climb to $48,225 by year four - nearly doubling - which validates the patient-earnings-curve thesis. Median debt of $24,245 produces a 0.938 ratio (D grade by the formal metric) but the four-year recovery and 85% repayment rate together signal that graduates are managing the debt successfully. The credential serves writers, artists, social-science researchers, and grad-school-bound students; the formal grade undersells the actual trajectory.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 81.4% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 85.1% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 83.7% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 88.4% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Sarah Lawrence College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 61.7% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 590-690 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 650-740 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 28-31 |
| Enrollment | 1,530 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 11.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $11,235 |
SLC admits 61.7% of applicants - moderately selective. SAT mid-ranges (Math 590-690, Reading 650-740) are among the strongest in our dataset, particularly the verbal section reflecting SLC's writing-and-humanities focus. The ACT 28-31 mid-range sits in the upper quartile of US four-year colleges. The combination of moderate selectivity, strong SAT verbal scores, and a 71.3% completion rate signals an academically prepared, self-directed student body that succeeds in SLC's narrative-evaluation curriculum.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
SLC's listed peer set is mixed. Adelphi University on Long Island is the closest geographic and structural comp - a New York metropolitan private with similar net price; Adelphi's ROI metrics tend to score modestly higher because of its applied-professional program mix (nursing, business). Albany College of Pharmacy is a specialized pipeline school whose pharma focus drives much higher early earnings - not a true comp on academic mission. Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee and Bethel University TN are smaller regional privates with very different student profiles. Felician University in NJ is a smaller Catholic private. SLC's true national peer set (Bennington, Hampshire, Reed, Bard) is not in the listed peers, but on completion and repayment rate SLC outperforms most listed peers despite the weaker headline ROI number.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Lawrence College (this school) | 37 | $41,437 | $53,603 |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 94 | $29,882 | $131,426 |
| Adelphi University | 75 | $30,783 | $75,482 |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 41 | $20,406 | $49,956 |
| Felician University | 40 | $40,045 | $57,602 |
| Bethel University | 34 | $12,595 | $47,482 |
Who Thrives Here
SLC enrolls 1,530 students with a 11.8% Pell rate - a small, predominantly higher-income, residential campus 30 minutes from Manhattan. The school fits writers, artists, performers, and humanities-driven students who want a narrative-evaluation curriculum (no traditional grades), small seminar classes, and a deeply customized academic experience. The 71.3% completion rate confirms students who matriculate generally finish, and the 85.1% repayment rate indicates graduates land on their feet financially even when early-career earnings are modest. Students for whom near-term earnings drive the college decision should look elsewhere; students drawn to creative and intellectual fields with patient earnings curves are the natural fit.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at Sarah Lawrence College are a real concern. With a net cost of $41,437 per year and the typical graduate earning only $53,603 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds 16.4 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What it has going for it: its 71.3% graduation rate, high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, high debt relative to what graduates earn, a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 against $53,603 in earnings is reasonable, though your major matters a lot here. Graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Sarah Lawrence College: Common Questions
Is Sarah Lawrence College worth it?
In our view, the numbers are a real concern - for most students the financial return does not justify the cost. Sarah Lawrence College scores 37/100 on our ROI scale. At $41,437 a year after aid against $53,603 in typical earnings ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds 16.4 years.
How much does Sarah Lawrence College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - what students actually pay after grants and scholarships - is about $41,437 a year, or roughly $165,748 over four years. That is the number to plan around, not the sticker price. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Sarah Lawrence College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $53,603 ten years after enrolling, roughly $11,803 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Sarah Lawrence College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 16.4 years for Sarah Lawrence College. Most four-year schools we track land between 4 and 10 years.
How much debt do Sarah Lawrence College graduates take on?
Median debt at graduation is about $27,000, against $53,603 in typical earnings a decade out. That is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Sarah Lawrence College?
The six-year graduation rate is 71.3%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.