Sarah Lawrence College

Private · Moderately Selective · NY

Photo: Alison Nieman (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads1,530

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate59.2%

6-yr grad rate71.3%

Drop-out rate12.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$67k

Out-of-state tuition$67k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity38.6%

Gender diversity79.9%

International4.9%

Identity—

Overview

Sarah Lawrence College is a liberal arts college in Bronxville, just north of New York City, known for a pedagogy unlike almost any other American college: no traditional departmental majors, small seminar courses, and a don system pairing every student with a faculty don for regular one-on-one conferences.

Academics

Instead of grades alone, students receive extensive written evaluations of their work, and their course of study is built individually around seminars and independent conference projects rather than a fixed major sequence. Writing and the performing arts, especially theatre and dance, are historic strengths, and the college's proximity to New York supports strong ties to the city's literary and arts institutions.

Campus & student life

The Bronxville campus is compact and residential, with easy commuter-rail access into Manhattan that students use regularly for internships, performances, and cultural life. The intensity of the conference and seminar system creates a serious, discussion-driven academic culture rather than a big-athletics or Greek-life-centered social scene.

Getting in

Sarah Lawrence admission is deliberately unconventional, often not requiring standardized test scores and placing heavy weight on writing samples and essays, since the entire academic model depends on independent, self-directed students who thrive without the structure of assigned majors.

After graduation

Graduates go on in disproportionate numbers to graduate programs and careers in writing, the arts, and academia, and the college's alumni network is especially strong in literary and creative fields.

Worth knowing

The absence of majors and the one-on-one conference system are not minor stylistic quirks — they are the defining feature of a Sarah Lawrence education, and prospective students should understand that the entire model depends on self-direction rather than a set curriculum.

sarahlawrence.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate61.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1240–1430 · ACT 28–31

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying