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CollegeRanker
Private nonprofit New London, CT · Urban · New England · 100% data
A Earnings A Selectivity A- Graduation
Graduation Rate
83% A-
Most students who enroll finish their degree here
Earnings (10yr)
$75,001 A
Top 5% nationally — exceptional earning power
Net Price
$36,175 F
111% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
37% A
Selective, but achievable with strong credentials
Earnings +84% vs avg
Graduation +45% vs avg
Net Price 111% vs avg
Mobility Top 44%

Bottom line: A C+ overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 19.5× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $19.5 over 20 years. Ranked #2 in Best Biology Colleges in Connecticut.

19.5× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $19.5 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $2,683,838.

What The Data Says

  1. A C+ overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduates earn 84% more than the national college median.

  3. A 83% graduation rate — 45% above the national average.

  4. Every $1 invested returns $19.5 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Connecticut College Matters

Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college in New London, CT and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 5% of all U.S. colleges.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private Liberal Arts College
Carnegie Class
Baccalaureate · Arts & Sciences
Enrollment
1,937
Setting
Urban
Primary Strengths
Social Sciences, Biology & Biomedical, Psychology, Visual & Performing Arts

Why students choose Connecticut College

Strong STEM core
A heavy concentration in technical fields
Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Exceptional earning outcomes
Graduate earnings in the top 5% of colleges
Close mentorship
A small, undergraduate-focused community

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C+
Top 41% overall
A
Earnings
$75,001 median
C-
Value
2.1× net price
F
Affordability
$36,175/yr net
A-
Graduation
83% graduate
C+
Social Mobility
1.6% climb Q1→Q5
A
Selectivity
37% admit rate
C-
Diversity
0.52 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Connecticut College has an impressive graduation rate of 83%, which highlights its commitment to student success. This statistic stands out in a landscape where many institutions struggle to retain students through to completion. It indicates a supportive academic environment that fosters persistence and achievement.

According to the Chetty/Opportunity Insights data, specific outcomes and mobility metrics for Connecticut College are not publicly available. However, the high graduation rate suggests that students are likely to find a supportive community that helps them navigate their educational journey, potentially leading to positive post-graduation outcomes.

The net price to attend Connecticut College is $36,175, with a median debt of $23,500 for graduates. Ten years after graduation, alumni report earnings averaging $75,001. This financial profile suggests that while the cost is significant, graduates can expect a reasonable return on their investment. Students who thrive here are often those interested in social sciences, biology, psychology, and the arts, seeking a collaborative environment that values academic rigor and creative expression.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Connecticut College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Connecticut College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in New London, Connecticut, Connecticut College reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 37%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,432. The graduation rate is roughly 83%.

Acceptance Rate
37%
Retention Rate
90%
SAT Average
1432
ACT Midpoint
32
SAT Range
1350–1500
ACT Range
30–33
Full-Time Faculty
78%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$7,781
Student–Faculty Ratio
10:1
Diversity Index
0.52
First-Gen Students
14%
Applicants
8,744
Admitted
3,533

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Connecticut College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 16% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate
16%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
52%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
14%
of enrolled freshmen
Early Decision Admit Rate
40.7%
vs 39.2% overall

Applying early pays off here. Of 546 Early Decision applicants, 222 were admitted — a 40.7% admit rate, roughly 1.0× the 39.2% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 48% of the entering class (222 of 459 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.

Test-optional, in practice. Only about 66% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.

Source: Connecticut College's Common Data Set, 2025-26 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Connecticut College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Connecticut College is $67,242, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $36,175. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,341 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $23,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$67,242
Out-of-State
$67,242
Avg Net Price
$36,175
Median Debt
$23,500
Pell Grant Rate
14%
Federal Loan Rate
35%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$13,341
Family Income $30K–$48K
$16,892
Family Income $48K–$75K
$28,961
Family Income $110K+
$47,031

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Connecticut College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Connecticut College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Connecticut College earn a median of $75,001, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry
$49,165
8 Years
$71,333
10 Years
$75,001
Debt-to-Earnings
0.31x
Earning > $25K
77%

Earnings Trajectory

$49,165 6yr $71,333 8yr $75,001 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (388)
78%
100% (388)
78%
100% (388)
78%
100% (388)
78%

How Connecticut Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation83%Earnings 10yr$75KNet Price$36KRetention90%Median Debt$24KPell Grant Rate14%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$13K$0-30K$17K$30-48K$29K$48-75K$47K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%3.1%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%50.9%MOBILITY1.58%

College ROI Calculator

Is Connecticut College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Connecticut College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $36,175/year ($144,700 total). Graduates earn $75,001 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $2,828,538 in total earnings — a net gain of $2,683,838 (19.5× your investment). The median debt is $23,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 83% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$144,700
Projected 20yr Earnings
$2,828,538
Net Return
$2,683,838
ROI Multiple
19.5×
Cost Per Year
$36,175
Median Debt
$23,500
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
83%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Connecticut College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Connecticut College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.58%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.1% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 50.9% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $170,500, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
1.58%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
50.9%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
3.1%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$231,650
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Connecticut College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Connecticut College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.84, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 10% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.84
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.02
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
10.1%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants
$1,461,000
Investment Income
$-22,977,000

Top Programs

The fields Connecticut College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Connecticut College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in New London, Connecticut, Connecticut College reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 37%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,432. The graduation rate is roughly 83%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Connecticut College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Connecticut College is $67,242, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $36,175. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,341 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $23,500 in federal student loans.

Is Connecticut College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Connecticut College earn a median of $75,001, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

Does Connecticut College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Connecticut College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.58%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.1% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 50.9% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $170,500, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Connecticut College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Connecticut College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.84, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 10% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Does Connecticut College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?

Yes. Connecticut College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 41%, about 1.0 times the overall 39% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 48% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Connecticut College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2025-26 Common Data Set).

Is Connecticut College really test-optional?

In practice, yes. Only about 66% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Connecticut College (2025-26 Common Data Set).

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Connecticut College?

About 16% of admitted students choose to enroll at Connecticut College — its yield rate (2025-26 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

Similar Schools

Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Connecticut College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys