Sterling College
Craftsbury Common, Vermont · Private Nonprofit · 66.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 10/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Sterling College scores 10 (Poor Value) on the CampusROI scale. The numbers are severe: $18,400 median 6-year earnings, a 31.6% completion rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25, and a payback period recorded as 999 years (indicating earnings do not cover cost within any reasonable horizon). Enrollment is just 50 students. Median debt of $23,000 exceeds the school's $21,854 net price and is equivalent to more than one full year of median 6-year earnings. The earnings premium is negative (-0.051), meaning Sterling graduates earn less on median than workers without a college degree in comparable labor markets. Sterling is a niche environmental liberal arts college in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, with a focus on ecological study and sustainable agriculture - a specialized mission that the Scorecard earnings data cannot fully contextualize. However, the 31.6% completion rate and $18,400 median earnings are not presentation artifacts; they reflect real outcomes for the students who attend. The Scorecard does not report program-level earnings data (the programs array is empty), so no major-specific analysis is available. Repayment rate data is imputed. Average faculty salary of $5,583 is extremely low.
The data raises concerns about Sterling College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score10/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.25 - Advisors recommend total student debt stay below one year of salary (ratio under 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate31.6% - Well below the 60% national average. Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
- Payback period>50 years - Graduates earn at or near the level of high school completers - the cost may not recoup within a working career.
Sterling College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $40,760/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $40,760/yr |
| Average net price | $21,854/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $87,416 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $30,573 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $18,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $244 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 31.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 50 |
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: $40,760/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 $21,854/year, or roughly $87,416 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 $18,533/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $23,000 in federal loans, which works out to about $244 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $30,573 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 1.25, which is high - the rule of thumb is that total debt should not top your first-year salary, and this is over that line.
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 | $18,533 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,655 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $24,564 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The 0-30000 bracket pays $18,533 per year at Sterling, and the 30001-48000 bracket pays $17,655. Four years at $18,533 totals $74,132 - more than four times the $18,400 median 6-year earnings. For low-income students, this is a particularly difficult investment to defend on financial grounds alone. The Pell grant rate of 44.9% suggests the school does serve this population, but the completion rate of 31.6% means most low-income students who start do not finish with a degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 48001-75000 bracket pays $24,564. The Scorecard does not report net prices for the 75001-110000 or 110001-plus income bands. Middle-income students paying $24,564 per year face a $98,256 four-year investment against a school where median earnings are $18,400 and fewer than a third of students graduate. The financial case for middle-income families is not supported by the Scorecard data.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price data for the 75001-110000 and 110001-plus brackets are not reported by the Scorecard. High-income families considering Sterling should use the institution's own net price calculator. Given sticker tuition of $40,760 and the earnings profile reported, even high-income families should weigh the 31.6% completion rate and $18,400 median earnings against the total investment before enrolling.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 79.4% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 76.3% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Sterling College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2023).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 66.7% |
| Enrollment | 50 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 44.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,583 |
Scorecard does not report admission test score ranges for Sterling. The 66.7% admission rate reflects a small, self-selecting applicant pool. This is not a competitive-admission situation in the conventional sense - fit with the college's environmental mission is the primary filter. Students who enroll are self-selecting into a non-traditional educational model.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Sterling's Scorecard peers include Bennington College, Champlain College, Oak Hills Christian College, California College of ASU, and Yeshivah Gedolah Rabbinical College - a disparate group. Bennington is the closest conceptual peer as a small Vermont liberal arts college with a non-traditional model. Sterling's outcomes are worse than Bennington's on most Scorecard metrics. Among the named peers, Champlain College has substantially better completion rates and earnings. Sterling occupies a unique niche that defies easy comparison, but the Scorecard data place it at the bottom of any ROI-ranked list.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling College (this school) | 10 | $21,854 | $30,573 |
| Champlain College | 49 | $35,860 | $58,386 |
| Bennington College | 26 | $30,947 | $38,289 |
| Yeshivah Gedolah Rabbinical College | 18 | $12,587 | $30,667 |
| California College of ASU | 14 | $17,683 | $42,014 |
| Oak Hills Christian College | 12 | $20,227 | $35,983 |
Who Thrives Here
Sterling admits 66.7% of applicants and does not report SAT or ACT ranges. With 50 students enrolled, it is one of the smallest degree-granting institutions in the country. The Pell grant rate of 44.9% is high, indicating many students receive federal need-based aid. Sterling serves students with a specific ecological and environmental mission - those who self-select into the college understand they are not optimizing for conventional career outcomes. The relevant question for prospective students is whether the educational experience justifies $18,533-$24,564 per year in net cost given the earnings and completion data.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at Sterling College are a real concern. With a net cost of $21,854 per year and the typical graduate earning only $30,573 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 31.6% graduation rate, high debt relative to what graduates earn, a long payback period.
Be careful with the debt here. A median $23,000 owed against $30,573 in earnings is heavy, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75 is past the level advisors flag. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
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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.