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Sterling College

Private nonprofit Craftsbury Common, VT · Rural · New England · 87% data
B- Selectivity D+ Affordability D+ Diversity
Graduation Rate
38% D
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$30,573 D
Below average for college graduates
Net Price
$21,854 D+
28% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
67% B-
Accessible to most qualified applicants
Earnings -25% vs avg
Graduation -33% vs avg
Net Price 28% vs avg
Mobility Top 86%

Bottom line: A D+ overall grade — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges. 8.0× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $8.0 over 20 years.

8.0× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $8.0 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $615,459.

What The Data Says

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

  2. Graduate earnings fall 25% below the national college median.

  3. Graduation of 38% — 33% below the national average.

  4. Every $1 invested returns $8.0 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Sterling College Matters

Sterling College is a private college in Craftsbury Common, VT and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: measurable returns for the students it serves.

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

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private College
Carnegie Class
Baccalaureate College
Enrollment
50
Setting
Rural
Primary Strengths
Biology & Biomedical, Humanities

Why students choose Sterling College

Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Close mentorship
A small, undergraduate-focused community
Strength in Biology & Biomedical
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

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

D+
Top 73% overall
D
Earnings
$30,573 median
D
Value
1.4× net price
D+
Affordability
$21,854/yr net
D
Graduation
38% graduate
F
Social Mobility
0.8% climb Q1→Q5
B-
Selectivity
67% admit rate
D+
Diversity
0.45 index

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

How we grade →

Can I Get In?

How selective Sterling 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 Sterling College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Sterling College offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 67% of applicants receiving an offer. The graduation rate is roughly 38%.

Acceptance Rate
67%
Retention Rate
86%
Full-Time Faculty
72%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$5,583
Student–Faculty Ratio
6:1
Diversity Index
0.45
Applicants
28
Admitted
26

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 Sterling College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Sterling College is $40,760, 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 $21,854. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,533 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $23,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$40,760
Out-of-State
$40,760
Avg Net Price
$21,854
Median Debt
$23,000
Pell Grant Rate
45%
Federal Loan Rate
37%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$18,533
Family Income $30K–$48K
$17,655
Family Income $48K–$75K
$24,564

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 Sterling 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 Sterling College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Sterling College report median earnings of $30,573, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$27,109
8 Years
$32,837
10 Years
$30,573
Debt-to-Earnings
0.75x
Loan Repayment (3yr)
65%

Earnings Trajectory

$27,109 6yr $32,837 8yr $30,573 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (3)
16%
100% (3)
16%
100% (3)
16%
100% (3)
16%

How Sterling Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation38%Earnings 10yr$31KNet Price$22KRetention86%Median Debt$23KPell Grant Rate45%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$19K$0-30K$18K$30-48K$25K$48-75K

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%6.8%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%12.3%MOBILITY0.84%

College ROI Calculator

Is Sterling College Worth It?

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

Yes — for most students, Sterling College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $21,854/year ($87,416 total). Graduates earn $30,573 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $702,875 in total earnings — a net gain of $615,459 (8.0× your investment). The median debt is $23,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 38% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$87,416
Projected 20yr Earnings
$702,875
Net Return
$615,459
ROI Multiple
8.0×
Cost Per Year
$21,854
Median Debt
$23,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
38%

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 Sterling College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Sterling College is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.84%, in line with strong performers nationally. About 6.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 12.3% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $71,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
0.84%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
12.3%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
6.8%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$97,279
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Sterling 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 Sterling College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.67, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.67
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
-0.04
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
5.8%
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

Endowment
$1,065,705
Total Expenses
$6,147,980
Investment Income
$-179,641

Top Programs

The fields Sterling 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Sterling College offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 67% of applicants receiving an offer. The graduation rate is roughly 38%.

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

Published tuition at Sterling College is $40,760, 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 $21,854. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,533 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $23,000 in federal student loans.

Is Sterling College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Sterling College report median earnings of $30,573, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

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

Sterling College is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.84%, in line with strong performers nationally. About 6.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 12.3% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $71,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Sterling 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 Sterling College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.67, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.04), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Similar Schools

Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Sterling 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