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Is Sarah Lawrence College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Sarah Lawrence, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Heavy lift
Sarah Lawrence lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $37,096 in yearly net price and $24,000 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $55,075. For context, Sarah Lawrence's net price sits about 91% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school and near the top of its sector range. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$43,571
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis significantly impacts your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $20,734 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $83,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$37,096
Median earnings 10 years out
$55,075
Median debt at graduation
$24,000
Graduation rate
69%
At Sarah Lawrence, a typical graduate carries about $24,000 in student debt and earns roughly $55,075 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $273 per month, or 6% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $24,282 more than the typical working high school graduate in New York ($30,793) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
72% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in New York ($30,793).
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor's degree · 243 working graduates counted
$48,225
$17,432 above the benchmark
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Sarah Lawrence College and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Sarah Lawrence is a private nonprofit four year school in Bronxville, NY. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Vassar
Poughkeepsie, NY
Worth-It Score: 70/100
Median net price: $36,924
Private nonprofit 4-year
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
Worth-It Score: 67/100
Median net price: $37,405
Private nonprofit 4-year
Hartwick
Oneonta, NY
Worth-It Score: 46/100
Median net price: $36,296
Private nonprofit 4-year
Marymount Manhattan
New York, NY
Worth-It Score: 37/100
Median net price: $38,195
Private nonprofit 4-year
New York
New York, NY
Worth-It Score: 81/100
Median net price: $35,737
Common questions about Sarah Lawrence
The median net price at Sarah Lawrence is $37,096 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in New York? See the most affordable private colleges in New York →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Sarah Lawrence in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$37,068a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →