Sterling College
Craftsbury Common, Vermont · Private Nonprofit · 66.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 10/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Sterling College scores 10 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale. The numbers are severe: $18,400 average 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 average 6-year earnings. The earnings premium is negative (-0.051). 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 average 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.
How Sterling College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score10/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.25 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate31.6% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped 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 |
| Average 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, which covers tuition and fees only. 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.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,000, which works out to about $244 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($18,400) and comes to 1.25, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings.
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 average 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. 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 average earnings against the total investment before enrolling.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 79.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 76.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Sterling College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
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.
| 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. It has 50 students enrolled. 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: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Sterling College scores 10/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,854 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $30,573 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 31.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $18,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Sterling College: Common Questions
Is Sterling College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Sterling College scores 10/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,854 a year after aid against $30,573 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Sterling College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $21,854 a year, or roughly $87,416 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Sterling College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $30,573 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Sterling 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 more than 50 years for Sterling College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Sterling College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,000, against average earnings of $18,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Sterling College?
The six-year graduation rate is 31.6%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (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.