Earlham: the complete school report for parents

What does Earlham actually weigh in admissions?

Earlham rates 2 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, GPA. It does not consider 6 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Earlham's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

65% of enrolled students had a 3.50 GPA or above. The average was 3.64 on a 4 scale, reported for 100% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

Earlham admitted 81.6% of 49 transfer applicants, against 79.0% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

Earlham reports its early rounds below.

What will Earlham actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $24,714 a year at Earlham after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $56,784. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 89% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 23 merit awards averaging $36,114 to first-years with no demonstrated need.

47% of Earlham graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $30,310 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $249 a month in repayment. Earlham’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from Earlham pay off?

Graduates earn a median $50,797 ten years after entering, and $35,430 at six years. 67% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 78% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

Will my child actually graduate?

82% of first-years return for a second year. 64% graduate within four years and 75% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 71.0% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 78.0% of everyone else, a gap of 7.0 points.

How big are the classes?

82% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 0% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 7:1, and 96% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by Higher Learning Commission.

What is life at Earlham like?

670 undergraduates, 59% of first-years from out of state. 90% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 88% across all undergraduates. Greek life is small: 0% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women a sorority. 23% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $66,410.

What this means for your student

• Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
• 65% of enrolled students are at a 3.50 GPA or above, averaging 3.64. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about Earlham

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