Sterling College
Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Net price / year
$21,854
after grants & scholarships
lower than 56% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Acceptance rate
67%
Graduation rate
38%
within 150% of normal time
lower than 83% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Median earnings
$29,415
4 years after graduating
lower than 99% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges
Sterling College at a glance
- What is the tuition at Sterling College?
- Undergraduate tuition and fees are $40,760 for the 2024-25 academic year.
- What is the cost of attendance at Sterling College?
- The average cost of attendance is $54,410 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Sterling College?
- The average net price is $21,854 a year after grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Sterling College?
- About 67% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
- Is Sterling College test optional?
- Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
- What is the graduation rate at Sterling College?
- 38% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
- How much do graduates of Sterling College earn?
- The median graduate earns $29,415 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- Graduates earn a median $29,415 four years after finishing, less than 99% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
- Natural Resources and Conservation is the largest field of study here, at 52% of the degrees and certificates awarded.
- The school admits 67% of applicants, so most who apply are accepted.
- 38% of students finish within 150% of normal time, lower than 83% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
- The average net price is $21,854 a year, close to the middle of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Sterling College
Average net price
$21,854 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Sterling College net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$87,416
Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Net price by family income
Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.
- $0–30k $18,533
- $30–48k $17,655
- $48–75k $24,564
- $75–110k —
- $110k+ —
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $54,410
- Tuition & fees$40,760
- Books & supplies$1,200
- Room & board$10,950
- Other expenses$1,500
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $40,760
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $40,760
Sterling College acceptance rate and admissions
Acceptance rate
Share of applicants admitted.
Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Sterling College
Graduation rate
38%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
73%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Completion within 150% of normal time, by group
Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).
All students, same entering cohort: 32%
Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By first-generation status
By gender
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 74%
- Black or African American 0%
- Hispanic or Latino 6%
- Asian 4%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 2%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0%
- Two or more races 2%
- U.S. nonresident 4%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 8%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 44%
- Women 56%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
21%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 50
- Part-time students
- 12%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 45%
- Receive federal loans
- 37%
- Students per faculty member
- 7 : 1
- Setting
- Rural
Similar colleges
Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.
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Bennington College
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Net price $30,947Earnings $38,899
-
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Landmark College
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Middlebury College
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-
Oak Hills Christian College
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Sterling College?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Sterling College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $40,760. This is the published price before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Sterling College?
The average cost of attendance at Sterling College is $54,410 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $21,854 a year. That is around the middle of private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Sterling College get?
45% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 37% receive federal loans.
What is the acceptance rate at Sterling College?
Sterling College admitted about 67% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Sterling College?
38% of first-time, full-time students at Sterling College finish within 150% of normal time. 73% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Sterling College graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $29,415 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $25,883.
Who attends Sterling College?
Among undergraduates in Fall 2024, 56% are women and 44% are men. The largest race or ethnicity group reported is White (74%). About 21% are aged 25 or older.
What are the most popular fields of study at Sterling College?
By share of degrees and certificates awarded in academic year 2024-25, the largest fields are Natural Resources and Conservation (52%); Biological and Biomedical Sciences (16%); Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences (12%).
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things