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Sterling College
Sterling, KSprivate nonprofitwww.sterling.edu/
Acceptance
48%
Avg net price
$22,371
Earnings (10 yr)
$45,846
Graduation rate
41%
Admit rate has ranged 37%–61% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Sterling College, a small Christian liberal arts college in rural Kansas, offers a tight-knit, faith-centered community where athletics loom large and academics emphasize hands-on, interdisciplinary learning. With an acceptance rate hovering around 50-89% (sources vary wildly), it attracts students seeking a low-pressure admissions process and a campus where nearly half the student body plays varsity sports. Graduation rates are modest (29-49%), but alumni earn solid mid-career salaries ($55,000) for a school of its size.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
- High school transcript
- Grade point average
- TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
- Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
- Undergrad enrollment
- 538
- In-state tuition
- $33,700
- Out-of-state tuition
- $33,700
- Location
- Sterling, KS
- Athletics
- NAIA (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conf.)
- Acceptance Rate
- 48-89% (sources vary)
- 6-Year Grad Rate
- 29-49%
- Male/Female Ratio
- 58%/42%
- Mid-Career Salary
- $55,000
- Religious Affiliation
- Christian (non-denominational)
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $45,846
- Value (earnings ÷ net price)
- 2.0×
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,625
- Graduation rate
- 41%
- First-year retention
- 50%
- Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
- 60%
- Pell (lower-income) share
- 63%
- First-generation share
- 34%
- Endowment / student
- $25,143
Financial health
1.6 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$36,745
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$29,685
- Psychology, General$29,685
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus & location
Campus safety
- On-campus violent crimes (2024)
- 0
- Per 1,000 students
- 0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
- Pleasant days / yr
- 74
- Summer high
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 25.6"
- Annual snow
- 11.6"
- Natural-hazard risk
- Very Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility
Economic mobility
- Mobility rate
- 0.8%
- Bottom → top quintile
- 12%
- From bottom quintile
- 7%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
- What is the acceptance rate at Sterling College?
- Sterling College's acceptance rate is approximately 48% (Sterling, KS), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
- How much does Sterling College cost?
- At Sterling College, the average net price (after aid) is about $22,371 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
- How many undergraduates attend Sterling College?
- Sterling College enrolls approximately 538 undergraduate students.
- Where is Sterling College located?
- Sterling College is located in Sterling, KS.
Admissions
Sterling College's admissions process is notably accessible, with reported Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. ranging from 48% (per U.S. News) to 89.2% (per PrepScholar) — a striking discrepancy that suggests fluctuating selectivity. The college requires only an ACT score of 18 (SAT 960) and a 2.2 GPA for full admission, with no separate application needed for transfer students. Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. policies aren't mentioned, but the threshold is low enough that most applicants clear it. Mid-range SAT scores (1000-1230) and ACT composites (reported only as '18 or above') indicate a student body with modest standardized test performance.
Academics
Sterling offers 80+ programs, with standout departments in , , and (per their majors page). The curriculum leans practical: the program explicitly tailors combinations like "Business + Communication" for specific careers. Small classes are the norm (exact sizes unspecified), and an provides rigor for high achievers. Notably, appears as a major — fitting for a school where 50% of students say varsity sports dominate campus life (per Niche). The Christ-centered approach permeates even secular majors, with Biblical Studies courses likely required across disciplines.
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See colleges similar to Sterling College →Sources
- Common Data Set | The Office of Institutional Research
- Common Data Set: Home
- Office of Institutional Research & Analytics | College of the Holy Cross
- Demystifying the Common Data Set - Top Tier Admissions
- [PDF] Common Data Set 2024-2025 - Springfield College
- Common Data Set - ccmrwithmsthrash
- Sterling College Admissions - BigFuture College Search
- Sterling College Admissions - U.S. News & World Report
- Admissions Requirements - Sterling College
- Sterling College (KS) SAT Scores and GPA
