Sarah Lawrence: the complete school report for parents
Sarah Lawrence rates 6 of the 18 admission factors Very Important, among them course rigor, the essay and extracurricular activities. This is a genuinely holistic review. It does not consider legacy, so family connections carry no weight. With a 66.0% admit rate and 54% of enrolled students at a 3.75 GPA or above, the transcript is the entry ticket and scores are optional but help when they are strong.
Sarah Lawrence is officially Sarah Lawrence College. Admissions figures below come from its 2025-2026 Common Data Set (see the source), with the admission-factor grid re-read from that file on 2026-09-20.
Is Sarah Lawrence a reach, target or safety for your student?
Enter a GPA and course load and the calculator places Sarah Lawrence against the figures above. No account needed.
What does Sarah Lawrence actually weigh in admissions?
Sarah Lawrence rates 6 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, the essay, extracurricular activities, recommendations, personal qualities, talent. It does not consider 2 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Sarah Lawrence's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.
| Factor | How Sarah Lawrence rates it |
|---|---|
| course rigor | Very Important |
| GPA | Important |
| test scores | Considered |
| the essay | Very Important |
| extracurricular activities | Very Important |
| recommendations | Very Important |
| personal qualities | Very Important |
| talent | Very Important |
| class rank | Considered |
| demonstrated interest | Considered |
| the interview | Considered |
| legacy | Not Considered |
| first-generation status | Considered |
| geography | Considered |
| state residency | Not Considered |
| volunteer work | Considered |
| work experience | Considered |
| religious affiliation | Not reported |
Does Sarah Lawrence consider how hard my child’s courses were?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors. The senior-year schedule should keep its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider GPA?
Yes. It is an important factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider SAT or ACT scores?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider the application essay?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors. The essay is doing as much work as the transcript.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider extracurricular activities?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider recommendation letters?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider character and personal qualities?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider a special talent or ability?
Yes. It is one of the most important factors.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider class rank?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider demonstrated interest?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider an interview?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider legacy status?
No. Sarah Lawrence does not consider it. A parent or grandparent who attended gives no advantage.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider being first-generation?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor. Say so on the application; it is read as context.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider where we live?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider state residency?
No. Sarah Lawrence does not consider it.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider volunteer work?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider work experience?
Yes, but only as a secondary factor.
Does Sarah Lawrence consider religious affiliation?
Not reported in the most recent Common Data Set.
What GPA do admitted students actually have?
54% of enrolled students had a 3.75 GPA or above. The average was 3.73 on a 4 scale, reported for 85% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.
| High school GPA | Share of enrolled students |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 34% |
| 3.75–3.99 | 20% |
| 3.50–3.74 | 22% |
| 3.25–3.49 | 10% |
| 3.00–3.24 | 9% |
| 2.50–2.99 | 4% |
| 2.00–2.49 | 1% |
What is the Sarah Lawrence waitlist really like?
Sarah Lawrence offered a place on its waiting list to 890 applicants and 450 accepted one. 169 were ultimately admitted. That is 37.6% of those who waited.
Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?
Sarah Lawrence admitted 57.6% of 210 transfer applicants, against 66.0% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here.
When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?
Sarah Lawrence reports its early rounds below.
| Regular application deadline | January 15 |
|---|---|
| Decisions released | March 15 |
| Reply / deposit deadline | May 1 |
| Early Decision offered | Yes |
| Early Decision deadline | November 1 |
| Early Decision II offered | Yes |
| Early Decision II deadline | January 15 |
| Early Action offered | Yes |
| Early Action deadline | November 1 |
| Application fee | $0 |
| Fee waiver available | Not reported |
| Deferred admission offered | Yes |
What will Sarah Lawrence actually cost us?
Families pay an average of $41,437 a year at Sarah Lawrence after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $73,088. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 76.6% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 116 merit awards averaging $38,122 to first-years with no demonstrated need.
58% of Sarah Lawrence graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $33,471 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $286 a month in repayment. Sarah Lawrence’s net price calculator gives your own figure.
Does a degree from Sarah Lawrence pay off?
Graduates earn a median $53,603 ten years after entering, and $34,251 at six years. 62% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 83% are actively paying down their loans three years in.
Will my child actually graduate?
81% of first-years return for a second year. 52% graduate within four years and 66% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 79.0% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 64.0% of everyone else, a gap of -15.0 points.
How big are the classes?
86% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 0% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 10:1, and 33% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by New England Commission on Higher Education.
What is life at Sarah Lawrence like?
1,447 undergraduates, 81% of first-years from out of state. 98% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 85% across all undergraduates. 11% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $76,763.
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.
- 54% of enrolled students are at a 3.75 GPA or above, averaging 3.73. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
- The waitlist is live but thin: 169 of 450 who waited were admitted, about 38%.
- See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.
Common questions about Sarah Lawrence
What GPA do you need for Sarah Lawrence?
54% of enrolled students at Sarah Lawrence had a high school GPA of 3.75 or above, and the average was 3.73, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set.
Does the Sarah Lawrence waitlist move?
450 students accepted a place on the Sarah Lawrence waiting list and 169 were admitted in the 2025-2026 cycle.
What do Sarah Lawrence graduates earn?
Sarah Lawrence graduates earn a median $53,603 ten years after entering, and 62% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years.
Other schools families compare with Sarah Lawrence
Where these numbers come from
Admissions figures: Sarah Lawrence’s 2025-2026 Common Data Set, published here, factor grid re-read from it on 2026-09-20. Earnings, debt, net price and graduation rates: College Scorecard (2022-2023). Unreported values show as “Not reported”.
How to read these numbers · Back to the Sarah Lawrence profile