Sarah Lawrence College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Syracuse, New York · Private nonprofit · Open access
Sarah Lawrence College is a private nonprofit university in Syracuse, New York that admits about 75% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $21,547 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Biology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Sarah Lawrence College is a private institution located in Syracuse, New York. For the most recent reporting cycle, Sarah Lawrence College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 75%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1260 and an ACT composite around 27. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $21,547 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Sarah Lawrence College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Sarah Lawrence College?
Sarah Lawrence College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Sarah Lawrence College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–670, with an EBRW midpoint near 605. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 25–31. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
How much does Sarah Lawrence College actually cost?
Published tuition is $38,970 for in-state students and $38,970 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $15,660 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $21,547 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at Sarah Lawrence College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Sarah Lawrence College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Biology, General. Across all programs, Sarah Lawrence College confers roughly 526 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $53,997 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 122 | $53,997 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 101 | $84,823 |
| Biology, General | 81 | $69,768 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 77 | $70,759 |
| Marketing | 53 | $68,937 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 32 | $50,331 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 31 | $78,376 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 29 | $51,213 |
Is Sarah Lawrence College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Sarah Lawrence College disclosed 8 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 0 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in New York parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Sarah Lawrence College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Sarah Lawrence College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Sarah Lawrence College
What GPA do I need for Sarah Lawrence College?
Sarah Lawrence College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Sarah Lawrence College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–670, with an EBRW midpoint near 605. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 25–31.
How much does Sarah Lawrence College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Sarah Lawrence College after grants and scholarships is $21,547 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Sarah Lawrence College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Sarah Lawrence College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Sarah Lawrence College?
Sarah Lawrence College accepts about 75% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Sarah Lawrence College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Sarah Lawrence College is a private nonprofit institution located in Syracuse, New York.
What are the most popular majors at Sarah Lawrence College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Sarah Lawrence College by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Biology, General. The school awards about 526 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Sarah Lawrence College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Sarah Lawrence College reported 8 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.