Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, Virginia · Private Nonprofit · 75.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 44/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Sweet Briar College earns a 44 out of 100 on the CampusROI scoring framework, putting it in the Below Benchmark tier despite some encouraging underlying numbers. The single-sex Virginia liberal arts college famously survived a near-closure in 2015 and has rebuilt with a deliberately low-cost posture: tuition is $26,160, net price is $17,758, and 4-year cost of attendance comes in at $71,032, which is unusually affordable for a residential private. The payoff is modest. Earnings reach $33,300 at 6 years and $51,943 at 10 years, so the earnings premium subscore is 52 and the payback period is 12.5 years. The drag on the ROI score is debt-to-earnings (0.811) combined with a 51.8% completion rate. Median debt of $27,000 against a $33,300 six-year salary leaves graduates carrying a significant balance through their first decade. Repayment, however, is healthy at 82% three-year, suggesting that those who do graduate manage their loans. Sweet Briar is a value-priced private with a small-college experience and an earnings curve that bends upward but takes time.
How Sweet Briar 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 Score44/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Sweet Briar College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $26,160/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,160/yr |
| Average net price | $17,758/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $71,032 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,943 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 51.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 443 |
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: $26,160/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $17,758/year, or roughly $71,032 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 $11,734/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,710/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,300) and comes to 0.81, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than 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 | $11,734 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,568 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,247 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,188 |
| $110,001+ | $24,710 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $11,734 net. Over four years that is roughly $46,936, well within federal loan and Pell coverage. For Pell-eligible students, the cost math is genuinely favorable, and the small-college support structure may matter as much as the price tag for completion odds.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $15,247 and the $75,001-$110,000 band pays $20,188. The aid curve is well-shaped across these brackets, with meaningful discounts holding through the middle of the income distribution. Against a $51,943 ten-year earnings figure, the math works for middle-income families willing to accept a 10-12 year payback.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $24,710 net, $1,450 below the $26,160 sticker. Sweet Briar's pricing strategy assumes high-income families can self-fund with modest aid.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 74.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 82.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 78.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 85.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Sweet Briar 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 | 75.5% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 540-640 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 560-670 |
| Enrollment | 443 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,914 |
Sweet Briar admits 75.5% of applicants, an open-access posture appropriate to its scale and mission. SAT mid-ranges run 540-640 in math and 560-670 in reading. ACT data is not reported. The 51.8% completion rate is below the admit rate would suggest, hinting that retention and persistence, not admissions, are the limiting factor.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Sweet Briar's 10-year earnings are $51,943. Sweet Briar's distinctive value is the combination of low net price, residential liberal arts experience, and a respectable long-run earnings curve.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Briar College (this school) | 44 | $17,758 | $51,943 |
| Bay Path University | 52 | $14,271 | $55,383 |
| Agnes Scott College | 45 | $24,754 | $56,274 |
| Meredith College | 43 | $22,488 | $51,539 |
| Brenau University | 41 | $18,924 | $54,003 |
| Chatham University | 39 | $29,954 | $52,410 |
Who Thrives Here
With 443 students and a 31% Pell rate, the campus is small enough that retention rests on cultural fit. Strong fits include students who want a tight cohort, equestrian or environmental sciences programs, and a pathway to graduate or professional school. Weak fits include students focused on pre-professional fields with clear high-earning trajectories or students unsure about a women's college environment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Sweet Briar College scores 44/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $17,758 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,943 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.5 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 it has going for it: high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: its 51.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Sweet Briar College: Common Questions
Is Sweet Briar College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Sweet Briar College scores 44/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $17,758 a year after aid against $51,943 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Sweet Briar 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 $17,758 a year, or roughly $71,032 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 Sweet Briar College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,943 ten years after enrolling, roughly $10,143 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 Sweet Briar 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 12.5 years for Sweet Briar College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Sweet Briar College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $33,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Sweet Briar College?
The six-year graduation rate is 51.8%. 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.