I am going to walk you through what the federal government reports about it: who studies there, how much it costs, how hard it is to get in, how much aid it provides, and how likely a student is to graduate. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right college for your child. No article can do that. But by the time you finish reading this, you will understand this part of the map better than most families that apply here without having researched it.
What Kind of School It Is
The Carnegie system, which is how the government organizes this country’s colleges according to what they do, classifies Earlham as a bachelor’s college focused on arts and sciences. It is a four-year, very small, highly residential school: at least half of its undergraduate students live in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full-time. It is also placed in the selective-admissions group.
Highly residential does not mean inexpensive. The cost of living on campus almost never appears beside tuition in the brochure. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing Earlham with any other school.
Earlham is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. IPEDS records a master’s degree as the highest level it reports offering and classifies it as an institution that awards primarily bachelor’s degrees or higher-level credentials. That is an institutional data point, not a program map: it does not tell you whether the major your child wants exists there or whether it connects to a graduate program. That must be checked program by program.
Do not rule it out or choose it based on the listed price. That comes later, carefully, because it is the piece that carries the most weight.
Earlham has none of three specific designations: it is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Those are three separate answers with different histories, and among the 3,012 colleges in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Earlham’s having none of them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
About the location: Earlham is in a town setting, far from major cities. If your family does not live nearby, calculate separately where your child would live and how your child would get to campus. This data point only locates the school’s address; it says nothing about your situation or the trip.
A Small Community
Earlham’s enrollment in the most recent official fall count was 696. It is among the smaller schools, in the band below 1,000, and compared with 941 similar selective private schools, seven out of ten have higher enrollment. Of the total, undergraduate enrollment is 635 and graduate enrollment is 61: this is primarily an undergraduate college.
Being small does not make it better or worse. But it does change something practical: ask whether courses in your child’s intended major are offered every semester or only once a year. That affects how long it takes to graduate.
Who makes up that community? Among the undergraduates reported in fall 2023, 8 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census, Earlham ranks below the midpoint of the group. There are almost no adult students: only 1 out of every 100 is between ages 25 and 64. The balance between men and women is nearly even, with women accounting for 54 out of every 100. And fewer than half of first-time students, 33 out of every 100, reported permanent residence in Indiana; the rest come from other states or other countries, or their residence was not reported.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. If your child will be one of the few, ask which student groups and support services exist, and speak with a Latino student before deciding. The number describes the school as a whole; your child’s experience may look different.
How Academic Life Is Structured
Earlham’s academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts credit for AP exams but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam: the data do not say what scores are required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the latest year reported, the number of bachelor’s degrees Earlham awarded was 140, spread across 19 fields of study. Biology and biomedical sciences produced the largest share, accounting for 27 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year, but no other area dominates: awards are broadly distributed. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, Earlham ranks in the quarter awarding the fewest degrees per year. Nineteen active fields of study do not mean nineteen exact programs or guarantee that your child’s major appears in the current catalog; verify it directly.
One figure that often draws attention: for every full-time-equivalent member of the instructional staff, there are 7 full-time-equivalent students. That is a very low ratio, and compared with 941 similar schools, Earlham falls in the bottom quarter, meaning it is among the lowest ratios in the group. But a low ratio does not measure actual class size or guarantee individual attention. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
Earlham also reports structured academic pathways: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval of the program for initial certification. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as options; it says nothing about their scope or whether they fit what your child is seeking.
Getting Into Earlham: What It Requires and Whom It Accepts
Earlham does not have open admissions. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks six as required: the high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the college-preparatory courses it requires, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. Class rank is considered if submitted, although it is not required. It is a long application: it should be assembled over time, not in one night. The essay should be started in the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted.
The published application fee is $0.
Now, the numbers from the most recent cycle. Earlham received 1,765 first-time applications and offered admission to 1,310 applicants. That means 74 out of every 100 were accepted: seven or eight out of ten. Compared with 942 selective private schools in this census, that is a typical rate, slightly above the midpoint of the group. Admission is not automatic, but your child has a real reason to apply and also a reason not to leave it until the last minute. And remember: that percentage comes from a single cycle. If there are more applicants next year and the number of places does not grow, the figure will fall on its own. When it is your child’s turn, check the current number again.
Here is something that confuses many families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 15 ultimately enrolled at Earlham. The other 85 had an acceptance in hand and chose another path. Compared with similar schools, this is a typical percentage, near the middle of the group. Do not read it as a blemish: the federal record does not explain why each person made that decision. What others did does not tell you what Earlham will offer your child. Wait for the letter showing the net price—what the year would actually cost—and decide with that number in hand.
Regarding standardized tests, Earlham reported that the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Among the students who did enroll, 32 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high share compared with similar schools—and among those students, the middle half scored between 608 and 690 in reading and writing and between 570 and 673 in mathematics. Be careful: those ranges apply to students who enrolled and submitted scores, not to all applicants. That 608 is not a minimum, and that 690 guarantees nothing.
Regarding transfers, in fall 2023, the count of undergraduates who arrived at Earlham for the first time after studying at another institution was 23. Compared with similar schools, that count is on the low side, although it is consistent with the school’s small size. How many credits Earlham accepted from them is a separate question to ask directly. The transfer-out rate—how many leave to transfer elsewhere—is not reported by this institution; that does not prove that no one transfers, only that the figure is not included in the file.
The Listed Price, Piece by Piece
At Earlham College, among 19 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $18,306. Among 15 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $22,527; among 41 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $29,101. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose student count was 19, and the average for the highest-income band, whose student count was 41, is $10,795. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $26,517.
$18,306 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The number that matters is the aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
The Aid Students Receive and the Debt That May Remain
At Earlham, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among recipients, the annual average was $40,546. That is real money, but it is not a price: what matters is how much remains after that aid, and that is calculated case by case.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 26 out of every 100 students.
Regarding loans, 42 out of every 100 undergraduates received a federal student loan in the most recent academic year. That is more than two out of ten, but less than half. Among borrowers, the average amount borrowed that year was $5,880. Compared with 942 similar schools, Earlham is on the low side: seven out of ten of those schools had a higher share of students with loans.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child’s own financial aid letter. And that average of $5,880 covers a single year and only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include loans that parents sometimes take out, debt owed to banks, or the total debt someone has upon graduating. The amount accumulated over the years is not in this report.
Earlham also reports a tuition installment-payment plan and participation in a Promise-type program. It is worth asking the finance office directly for details.
Campus Life and Support
Earlham has institutionally controlled housing, with a reported capacity of 976. Not all first-time students are required to live there—the institution answered that there is no universal requirement—although that does not indicate whether a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan. The existence of a room does not guarantee an available bed: request the annual rate, housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will join a waiting list, all in writing.
Regarding ROTC, Earlham did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its most recent report, either in the general field or for any specific branch. Of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide, 926 marked one; Earlham was not among them. That does not prove that no nearby pathway exists, only that one was not reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask about it directly before ruling Earlham out.
Earlham competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. This does not identify the division in which each sport competes or whether athletic scholarships are offered. If your child plays a sport, write directly to the coach and request an answer in writing.
The school offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in the most recent fall count, 0 out of every 100 undergraduates were taking their entire course load at a distance. All took at least one class in person. Earlham reported that it offers at least one program in which all required courses can be completed at a distance, but that does not confirm that the program is at the undergraduate level or in your child’s major. Confirm it in writing.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. Annual spending exceeded the threshold recorded by the government, but the data do not disclose the exact amount or how it was used. Ask how long it takes for a book requested from another institution to arrive.
Earlham also reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, and a web address for services for students with disabilities.
How Many Stay? How Many Graduate?
For the cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in fall 2022, the cohort count was 173, and 138 met the official retention criterion the following year—80 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already graduated. Compared with 930 similar selective private schools, Earlham ranks slightly above the midpoint of the group: neither among the best nor among the worst.
More stayed than left. But the data do not separate those who are still studying from those who have already graduated, and not returning is not the same as dropping out: someone who transferred to another college and continues studying elsewhere is counted the same way here as someone who stopped studying altogether.
Regarding graduation, IPEDS followed a cohort of 287 first-time, full-time students who began bachelor’s-degree programs at Earlham in 2017. By the six-year mark, 195 had graduated from Earlham itself. That is 68 out of every 100. By the four-year mark, the figure had already reached 61 out of every 100—only 7 points below the final six-year result, a small gap. Compared with 920 similar schools, at least half of the group reported an equal or lower share of graduates.
| Time frame | Graduates out of every 100 |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 61 |
| 6 years | 68 |
The available data do not make it possible to reconstruct fully what happened to the rest of that cohort. A missing row does not become zero and does not justify saying that they transferred, paused their studies, or dropped out. That level of detail simply is not reported.
One final, longer measure: IPEDS followed a cohort whose count was 279 and whose members entered between July 2015 and June 2016. By the August 2023 measurement point—eight years later—73 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Earlham. A majority had a credential in hand. Compared with 935 similar schools, Earlham ranks in the top quarter of that group.
There is a difference here worth examining directly: among students in that cohort who received a Pell Grant, 64 out of every 100 had graduated within eight years. Among those who did not receive Pell, the figure was 13 points higher. This is a historical cohort from years ago; your family’s qualifying for Pell today does not determine your child’s outcome. But if the Pell Grant applies in your case, it is worth asking the school directly what specific support exists: an assigned adviser, emergency aid, and whether the institution’s grant or scholarship aid renews each year. And get the answer in writing.
What You Now Know and What Remains Yours to Decide
You now have a fairly complete picture of Earlham according to its own reports to the federal government: a small school, selective but accessible in its admission rate, expensive at the listed price but offering real and consistent aid, with a community where Latino students are few, and with graduation outcomes above the midpoint of its peers.
None of these numbers decides anything by itself. The admission rate does not tell you whether your child will get in. The listed price is not what your family will pay. The graduation rate of a cohort from eight years ago does not predict your child’s. What these data do is something different: they give you real ground to stand on instead of a brochure whose only purpose is to persuade you.
What this picture lacks is what only your child can provide—what your child wants to study, how far away your child is willing to live, and how much this community matters—and what only your family can define—how much you can and are willing to pay, and how much that distance to Richmond, Indiana, weighs in the decision. Put those three pieces together, and a plan can finally begin to take shape.
The information in this article comes from Earlham College’s reports to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Best College Aid does not represent Earlham College or the federal government; this article is for informational purposes and does not replace the financial aid letter or official information the school sends directly to your family.