Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, New York, is one of those names. And as with any college, the question is not whether it is “good” or “bad.” The question is: what exactly is it, and does it work for your family?
Let’s walk through it together, using the official data the United States government collects from every institution in the country. It is not the complete story of Sarah Lawrence College. It is the part that the college is legally required to report. And properly understood, that part is already worth a great deal.
What kind of school it is
Let’s start with the basics, because the basics here are not trivial.
Sarah Lawrence College is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution. The federal system that classifies colleges in the United States describes it as a small, highly residential college focused on undergraduate arts and sciences: at the time of that classification, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. In that same classification system, it appears in the more selective admissions category.
That does not mean you already know how many out of every 100 applicants are admitted—we will look at that later, using the exact figure—or that this should be the only school on your child’s list. The classification describes a category; it does not replace the work of researching the school.
The institution also reports offering study through the master’s level, although that is a general institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in is offered there or whether the undergraduate program connects with the graduate program in that field. That must be asked program by program.
And one clarification is worth making now: Sarah Lawrence College is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 institutions in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations. Sarah Lawrence’s absence from that list says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child would feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist, what student organizations are available, and—if possible—speak with someone who already attends.
About the location. The campus is in Bronxville, in Westchester County, within the New York metropolitan area. But the census code places it in a suburb, not in the heart of the city. If your child plans to live at home and commute by car, do not rely on the map: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of the classes. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
A small community, with a clear majority
The most recent official enrollment count at Sarah Lawrence was 1,743. Nationally, it is a medium-sized school—neither one of the large schools nor one of the small ones—and, compared with 941 similar selective private schools, its size falls right in the middle of the group. Of that total, undergraduate enrollment is 1,521 and graduate enrollment is 222: it is primarily an undergraduate school.
Within that undergraduate population, two things stand out. First, women are a strong majority, accounting for 80 out of every 100 students. Second, Hispanic or Latino students account for 11 out of every 100, a small minority, although—compared with 941 similar selective private schools—Sarah Lawrence ranks above the midpoint of that group without reaching the highest quarter.
Put plainly: there are few Latino students here. That does not automatically remove the school from the list, but it is information worth having before you visit. During the visit, ask what specifically exists for Latino students: a student group, a cultural center, someone in the office who speaks Spanish. And keep in mind that this comparison does not account for the part of the country where the school is located, which matters in this case, nor does it go down to the level of a specific major.
One more fact about this community: the share of students between the ages of 25 and 64 is just 1 out of every 100. There are almost no adult students here. It is overwhelmingly a community of young people arriving directly from high school.
How academics work
The year at Sarah Lawrence is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit.
Here is a truth that good intentions do not change: saying that AP credit is accepted does not mean every exam automatically earns you credit. This information does not tell us what score is required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits apply to your child’s specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until they are confirmed.
One fact about the academic offerings deserves direct attention: in the most recently reported year, Sarah Lawrence awarded 312 bachelor’s degrees, all within a single academic family: liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities. Nationally, 869 institutions report bachelor’s degrees in that same family, and compared with 942 similar selective private schools, Sarah Lawrence falls within the quarter with the fewest academic families represented in its degree-completion detail.
This does not mean the school’s current offerings are limited to that field, nor does it mean that changing academic interests would require changing colleges. But if your child knows, for example, that engineering or business is the goal, this is exactly the kind of information that calls for direct contact with the school: request the curriculum for the program of interest, ask how many students graduated from it last year, and find out how easy it is to get a seat in the required classes.
The ratio of students to instructional staff is 10 to 1, a low figure compared with similar schools—it falls below the midpoint of that group. But be careful about what this does not say: it is not the size of first-year classes, and IPEDS does not explain the exact method the institution used to arrive at that figure.
Structured paths and opportunities
The institution reports offering study abroad, teacher-certification preparation below the postsecondary level, the ability to complete preparation there in certain teacher-specialization areas, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification. These are reported pathways; their exact availability for your child’s interests must be confirmed directly with the school.
The way in: how Sarah Lawrence admits students
This is where many families become nervous, so let’s take it slowly and use the exact figures.
Sarah Lawrence does not have open admission. Of the nine admissions considerations that the government asks every college about—not counting standardized tests or legacy status—it marks five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. It also considers—although it does not require—class rank, completion of the recommended high school curriculum, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience.
Gathering paperwork is not enough here. The essay is required. Your child has to write, and write well. If this school is on the list, that essay should be started during the summer, not during the week before the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted.
One practical fact may ease the administrative burden a little: the published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Now, the figures showing how selective it is in practice. In the most recent cycle, Sarah Lawrence received 4,819 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,840. That is 59 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, this places it on the lower side of the group: seven out of ten or more of those schools admit a larger share of their applicants.
| What happens for every 100 applicants | Result |
|---|---|
| Receive an offer of admission | 59 |
| Do not receive an offer | 41 |
The count is divided almost evenly. Admission is not a sure thing, but it is not a lottery either. The application is reviewed.
But here is a fact that surprises many families and is worth confronting directly: among every 100 admitted students, only 14 ultimately enrolled. For every 7 young people who receive a yes from this school, about one ends up attending. The other six already had a place here and did not take it.
Do not read that as a stain on the school. The fact that most admitted students do not enroll does not mean the institution is bad; the federal record does not explain why each person chose what they chose. And above all, what other people decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your letter showing the net price—what the year would actually cost your family—before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains equally valid. Among students who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—only 10 out of every 100 enrollees did so—the middle half scored between 680 and 730 in reading and writing and between 590 and 710 in mathematics. Those figures describe a minority of enrolled students, not all applicants, and they are neither a minimum nor a guarantee.
If your child were to transfer. Of the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 15 out of every 100 transferred without completing there and enrolled at another institution. That percentage is common compared with similar schools. Transferring is not failing. But your child should know in advance how to request the paperwork needed to leave if that ever becomes necessary and should request written confirmation, using the exact course list, of which credits would be recognized after a transfer.
The list price, and why it is not the actual price
For first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the reported group size was 16 and the average net price was $20,746. For the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, the reported group size was 14 and the average was $27,814; for family income above $110,000, the group size was 100 and the average was $21,166. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The average for the lowest-income band, with a reported count of 16, and the average for the highest-income band, with a reported count of 100, ended up within $420 of each other. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $43,571.
Even after grants and scholarships were deducted, the average net price for the lowest-income families was $20,746 in academic year 2022-23. If that figure does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
The fact that the two bands at the extremes are so close does not mean your family will pay that amount. 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 aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. Run the school’s net price calculator using your own figures before relying on this amount.
Financial aid and loans: who pays what
Among Sarah Lawrence degree-seeking students, 88 out of every 100 receive some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among recipients, the annual average was $35,931. It is an average: it includes people who received much more and people who received considerably less.
Now, an important distinction: of that group of 88, only 13 out of every 100 undergraduates receive a Pell Grant—the federal aid specifically intended for families with demonstrated low incomes. That means at least 75 out of every 100 students receive non-Pell aid from other sources: the institution itself, the state, or other scholarships. The report does not distinguish where each dollar comes from, so it cannot tell you what your child would specifically receive. Ask directly: who awards that aid, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
Regarding loans: among undergraduates, 42 out of every 100 received a federal loan in the most recently reported year. That is more than two out of ten, but less than half. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, this places Sarah Lawrence on the lower side: seven out of ten or more of those schools had a larger share of students with loans.
Among those who did borrow, the average amount was $6,283 for that school year. Some young people here go through the year without debt, while others borrow. This overall percentage does not determine which group your child will fall into; the specific financial aid letter your child receives does.
And one clarification is worth its weight in gold: that $6,283 average includes only federal loans in the student’s name for a single year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from private banks, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduation—that would require adding together four years, and that figure is not in this report.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition-payment plan as an additional way to manage the cost.
Campus life: housing, athletics, and support
Sarah Lawrence does have institution-controlled housing, and it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—although that does not mean a specific program cannot have such a requirement, so it is worth confirming. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,070 students. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest plan.
The existence of housing does not guarantee your child a bed. The existence of a meal plan does not tell you whether it is included in the price or how much it costs separately. Request this year’s rate in writing, along with the deadline for applying for a room and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC: the institution did not mark any opportunity for this program in its most recent report, either in the general field or for any specific branch. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark it; Sarah Lawrence was not among them. That does not prove there is no nearby pathway—it means only that none was reported in this field. If this matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
In athletics, Sarah Lawrence does compete at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. It reports membership for basketball and cross-country or track and field. This does not identify every current team, the division in which each sport competes, or whether athletic scholarships are awarded. If your child wants to continue competing, write directly to the coach of the specific sport and request the answer in writing.
Regarding distance education: the institution does offer it at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including at least one program in which all required courses can be completed at a distance. But in the most recent count, no undergraduate student was taking an entire course load completely at a distance. If this is relevant to your family, confirm in writing the exact level and program to which it applies.
The library operates with paid staff and exceeded the government’s $100,000 spending threshold; it has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. That alone does not tell you whether it has specific databases for your child’s major—that should be asked using the program’s name.
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 web address for disability services.
The outcomes: how many stay and how many graduate
This may be the part that creates the most anxiety for a mother or father. Let’s look at the figures exactly as they are.
Retention. The most recently reported fall cohort of full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students had a total size of 384; 84 out of every 100 remained enrolled or had already completed the bachelor’s degree one year later. Compared with 930 similar selective private schools, this places Sarah Lawrence in the upper part of the group: it retains a larger share than most of its peers.
Two things this figure does not say: it does not separate those who remain enrolled from those who have already graduated, and not returning is not the same as abandoning one’s studies—someone who transferred to another college and remains enrolled there is counted the same in this figure as someone who stopped studying altogether.
Graduation. The bachelor’s-degree cohort that began in 2017 consisted of first-time, full-time students and had a reported size of 393. It was followed for six years. By the end of that period, 275 had earned the degree: 70 out of every 100. Under the shorter four-year timeframe, the figure falls to 59 out of every 100, eleven points lower.
| Timeframe | Of every 100 who entered, the number who graduated |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 59 |
| 6 years | 70 |
Compared with 920 similar schools, half or more of that group reported the same graduation share or a lower one; Sarah Lawrence is in favorable territory, although the exact data for that same cohort provide more detail: of the 393 who entered, 275 graduated there, 59 transferred without completing there, 2 remained enrolled without finishing, and 57 fell into the federal “no longer enrolled” category—a category that does not explain the reason and may include people who graduated after the measured timeframe.
A high percentage is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to a specific cohort that entered in 2017. What you and your child can control is entering with credits in order and knowing, from the first semester, who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for the courses required by the major.
At eight years. IPEDS also tracked a different cohort—students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, combining first-time students with those who already had prior college experience. As of August 2023, 77 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 80 out of every 100, three points above the group without Pell Grants. Compared with 935 similar schools, this places Sarah Lawrence in the highest quarter of the group.
A high percentage, again, does not predict the outcome of any particular person. It describes a specific earlier cohort. If this school remains on your family’s list, it is worth asking directly about the program’s current support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
Putting the pieces together
You now know, in as much depth as the official data allow, one of the three pieces you need to make a decision about Sarah Lawrence College: what this college is, what it requires for admission, what it costs on paper and tends to cost in practice, and what happened to the cohorts that have already passed through it.
You still need to connect this information with what your child wants to study and what your child has already accomplished in high school. And you need to connect it with what your family can and is willing to pay once you have the financial aid letter in hand with the actual figure, not the list price.
Your child’s job is to write that essay, maintain that GPA, and decide whether this school makes sense. Your job is the FAFSA, the deadlines, the net price calculator, and getting the letter in writing before committing to anything. Neither of you does the other’s work.
A real plan begins to take shape when those three pieces—the college, the student, and the family—come together.
Note on sources: the information in this article comes from data reported by Sarah Lawrence College to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Sarah Lawrence College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public information to help families understand it.