I am not going to sell you on this university or cross it off your list. I am going to show you what the federal government reports about it—admissions, cost, aid, outcomes—and explain what each number means for a family like yours. In the end, the decision is still yours. But you will reach it knowing more than you did when you started.
What Kind of School Lawrence University Is
Let’s start with the basics, because not every university plays the same game. Lawrence University is a private, nonprofit, four-year college focused on the arts and sciences. The system that classifies universities in this country places it in its more selective admissions category and describes it as highly residential: at least half of its undergraduate students live in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and eight out of ten attend full time.
It is in Appleton, Wisconsin, within Outagamie County, in a metropolitan area. That tells you where the point is on the map, not how to get there from your home or how long the trip actually takes. If your child were considering living at home and driving to campus, the only honest way to find out is to drive that route on a weekday at the time of your child’s classes. The map always lies a little about traffic.
The highest credential level this institution reports offering is a bachelor’s degree. That is an institutional fact, not a promise about the specific program your child is interested in: verify the particular major before assuming anything.
And one clarification worth making at the outset: Lawrence University has none of three specific designations—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. This does not tell you which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. That is something to ask directly by talking with people who already attend the campus.
A Small Community, with a Majority Coming from Far Away
Lawrence University had 1,410 students enrolled in the most recent official count, all of them undergraduates. It is a medium-sized school, one of the most common sizes among similar private four-year schools. Neither huge nor tiny: it promises neither total anonymity nor guaranteed attention. Those kinds of things should be asked about by major, not inferred from the school’s overall size.
Now, one fact that matters right away to many Latino families: 11 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, although the figure is slightly above the midpoint among its comparable schools. That does not take Lawrence off the list, but if it matters to you that your child find a community, it is worth asking during the visit what Latino student organization exists, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the admissions or student support office speaks Spanish.
The campus is almost evenly divided between men and women—54 out of every 100 are women—and there are very few adult students: only 1 out of every 100 is between 25 and 64 years old. Above all, this is a campus of young, full-time students.
One fact that should figure into your mental budget: fewer than half of first-time students—23 out of every 100, to be exact—reported permanent residence in Wisconsin. Most come from other states or countries. That does not directly measure distance or travel costs, but if your family lives far away, it tells you that your child would not be alone in that respect: most of the campus also traveled some distance to get there. Even so, build your budget around actual flights and travel, not assumptions.
How the Classroom Works
Lawrence University uses a trimester calendar: the year is divided into three periods of about 15 weeks each. In its most recent report, the school stated that it accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not indicate that it grants credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it automatically awards credit for every exam your child takes. Before calculating how much time or money your child might save, request a written credit-equivalency evaluation.
In a recent year, the school awarded 347 bachelor’s degrees across 16 fields of study. None accounts for the bulk of them: the largest, visual and performing arts, accounts for 25 out of every 100 degrees, and no other field comes close. It is a broad offering without a single dominant focus. This counts degrees awarded, not quality or employment afterward. Ask about the exact major your child is interested in: how many students graduated in it, how long they took, and how the curriculum is structured.
And here is a number that often looks impressive on paper: 7 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is among the lowest ratios at similar schools—it is in the group’s lowest quartile. But a low ratio calculated this way does not guarantee small classes or personalized attention; the number does not count seats in a classroom. The question worth asking during the visit is how many students are actually in first-year classes.
The institution also reports structured academic pathways: study abroad and several teacher-preparation routes, including the possibility of completing that preparation at another institution and state approval for initial teacher certification. If your child is interested in teaching, this is a thread worth pursuing directly with the school.
Getting into Lawrence: What They Ask for and What Actually Happens
This is one of the most important points in the entire article, so let’s take it slowly.
Lawrence University does not have open admissions. It reviews several pieces before saying yes, and three of them are required: the high school transcript, the personal essay, and, for those to whom it applies, an English-proficiency exam. That means your child has to write. There is no way around that part. If the essay is started during the summer instead of the night before the deadline, it will turn out better: the first draft is almost never the one that gets submitted.
Other pieces are not required but are considered if you submit them: grade point average, class rank, whether the student completed the college-preparatory coursework the university recommends, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or work sample, and work experience. The published application fee, by the way, is $0.
Now for the numbers showing how selective it is in practice. In the most recent cycle, Lawrence received 3,489 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,199 applicants. That is 63 out of every 100 applicants. Put another way, 1,290 did not receive an offer. It has medium selectivity—neither a sure thing nor a lottery—and sits slightly below the midpoint among its comparable schools. The application is genuinely reviewed.
But here is the part many families do not see coming: being admitted is not the same as enrolling. Out of every 100 students Lawrence admitted, only 15 ended up enrolling there that fall. Put another way, out of every seven who received a yes, about one decided to attend. The other six had a place and did not take it.
Do not read that as a mark against the school. The federal record does not explain why each person made the choice they did; they may have preferred another university, or the reason may have been cost, distance, or any of a thousand factors this figure does not capture. What I can tell you is this: what others decided does not predict what your child will be offered. Wait for the admission letter with the net price—what the year will actually cost your family—before rejecting this school or falling in love with it.
Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are optional at Lawrence. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application proceeds just the same. Among students who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—only 25 out of every 100 did so—the middle half scored between 600 and 720 in reading and writing and between 600 and 710 in mathematics. Be careful: those ranges describe students who had already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 600 is not a minimum that must be reached, and that 720 does not guarantee anything either.
Regarding transfers: in the most recent fall, 28 students entered Lawrence after having studied at another university. That count falls in the lower half among its comparable schools, but remember that it is a count of people, not a rate, and it goes hand in hand with the school’s size. If your child came through that route, the number of credits the school would accept is a question to ask Lawrence directly.
The Sticker Price: Put Numbers on It
Here we are going to talk plainly about money, because this is where clarity is needed most.
For the 2023–24 year, Lawrence University reported a total cost of attendance of $69,849 for a first-time, full-time student living on campus. That number is the same whether your family is from Wisconsin or anywhere else—there is no different rate based on residency here. It breaks down as follows: $55,461 for tuition and fees, $11,838 for housing and food, $900 for books and supplies, plus an estimate for other expenses such as transportation and laundry.
Compared with similar schools, this cost of attendance is among the highest in the group. It is a serious number, and I want to tell you that plainly, without softening it: $69,849 is the sticker price before any aid. It is not the bill your family will receive. It is the starting point.
The Net Price: This Is Where the Story Changes
At Lawrence University, among 31 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 $12,025. Among 37 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $17,215; among 111 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $32,492. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $20,467 between the average for the lowest-income band (31 students) and the average for the highest-income band (111 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $27,393.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Lawrence falls in the lowest-priced quartile for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact that carries weight when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. 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 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 aid letter you receive is what matters most.
Scholarships, Aid, and Loans: The Complete Money Map
At Lawrence, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm here. Among recipients, the average is $39,169 per year—a large figure, but an average, not your offer. And Pell Grants, the more specific form of federal aid for low-income families, reach 21 out of every 100 students.
Now for the loan portion, which is where many families need greater clarity. In the most recently reported academic year, 60 out of every 100 Lawrence undergraduate students received a federal student loan. More than half. Among those who borrowed, each received an average of $6,004 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years in the plan, the total would be around $24,016, excluding interest.
That number does not include Parent PLUS loans in the parents’ names, debt owed to banks, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduation—to determine that, you would have to add every year, and that specific figure is not in this report. But it does tell you something real: at Lawrence, financing an education with debt is common, not the exception. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end of the first semester.
The institution also reports a tuition installment-payment plan and participation in a Promise program, options worth asking the financial aid office about if your family is interested in spreading out the payments.
Life Outside the Classroom
Lawrence has its own housing and does not require every first-time student to live there—although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program might require it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. Its maximum reported housing capacity is 1,450 students. None of this guarantees a room: ask about the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether your child is guaranteed a place or would go on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC: Lawrence did not indicate any opportunity of this kind in its most recent report, unlike more than half of the four-year schools in this directory that did. That does not prove there is no nearby pathway; it only means none was reported in that field. If this matters to your family, ask the admissions office directly before ruling it out.
In athletics, Lawrence competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not say which division each sport competes in or whether scholarships are available: ask the coach of the team your child is interested in directly.
One clear and unambiguous fact: Lawrence offers no distance education—not even a single course, at any level. Zero out of every 100 students were taking classes entirely online. If your child needed scheduling flexibility because of work or caring for someone at home, the schedule here would have to work in person.
The library operates with paid staff and annual spending above the threshold tracked by the federal government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. That does not guarantee it has the specific databases needed for your child’s major: ask about them by the name of the major.
Finally, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, and a published address for services for students with disabilities.
How Likely Your Child Is to Stay and Graduate
This is the part that most directly answers every parent’s unspoken question: if my child gets in, will my child finish?
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 87 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Lawrence or had already completed their bachelor’s degree one year later. That is a high result, above most of its comparable schools. But be careful: this figure combines two groups—those who were still studying and those who had already graduated—and does not separate them or explain what happened to the 13 out of every 100 who were outside those groups.
As for graduation itself: of the cohort that began bachelor’s-degree study in 2017, 76 out of every 100 had their degree in hand six years later. That figure places Lawrence in the highest quartile among its comparable schools. But here is something every family should keep in mind when budgeting: after four years—the timeframe most families plan for financially—the figure was only 59 out of every 100. There is a difference of 17 points between the fourth and sixth years. The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or wages.
Looking even further out: among a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016, 79 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Lawrence eight years later. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 81 out of every 100, virtually the same. This is a high outcome compared with similar schools, but it describes a past cohort with its own circumstances. It does not predict your child’s path. What is worth asking about today is the program’s current support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What You Now Know, and What Is Still Yours to Decide
You now know Lawrence University more deeply than you did when you opened this page: you know how selective it is on paper and how selective it is in practice, what price it publishes and what price a family ultimately pays based on income, how many people borrow and how much, and how likely a student is to stay and graduate based on recent history.
None of these numbers makes the decision for you. The admission rate does not tell you whether your child will get in. The sticker price is not what you will pay. The graduation rate of a past cohort is not a promise about your child’s cohort. What these numbers do give you is something more valuable than certainty: a real map of what to ask, in what order, and with which number in hand before signing anything.
What falls to your child—writing that essay, choosing a major, finding a community on campus—is your child’s part of the journey, and no one else can walk it for them. What falls to you is what you have just done here: understand the terrain before your child has to make a decision about it. Combine this with what your child truly wants to study, what your child has already accomplished in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data Lawrence University reported to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Lawrence University or the U.S. government; this piece organizes and explains public data to help you understand it and does not replace official information or the admission and financial aid letter your child receives directly from the university.