Lawrence University

Private · Moderately Selective · WI

Photo: Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationWI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,396

Student:faculty7:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate56.8%

6-yr grad rate76.8%

Drop-out rate13.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$57k

Out-of-state tuition$57k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity40.3%

Gender diversity51.6%

International11%

Identity—

Overview

Lawrence University is a small private liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin, on the Fox River, distinguished by housing a full conservatory of music alongside its liberal arts college on one campus. That pairing is central to its identity: conservatory-track musicians and liberal arts students share dorms, dining halls, and often classes, producing a campus where serious musical training and traditional liberal arts study reinforce each other rather than compete. It is one of a small number of American colleges built this way.

Academics

The conservatory offers rigorous training in performance and composition, and cross-registration means non-majors can study music seriously while majoring in something else entirely. An interdisciplinary freshman studies seminar exposes all first-years to the same foundational texts and ideas regardless of intended major, building shared intellectual footing early. Physics and psychology are particular strengths, and the college's small size means students routinely work one-on-one with faculty on research well before graduate school.

Campus & student life

The Appleton campus sits along the Fox River, close enough to downtown for easy access but still self-contained. Björklunden, the university's lakeside retreat on Lake Michigan's Door County shore, hosts seminars and student trips that extend learning off campus in a way few peer schools can offer. Musical life saturates campus culture beyond the conservatory itself, with frequent recitals open to the whole student body, and the college's small size fosters a tight-knit, intellectually engaged social atmosphere.

Getting in

Lawrence evaluates applicants holistically, and conservatory applicants add an audition component alongside the standard academic file — a genuinely different track from liberal arts admission. Essays and demonstrated intellectual curiosity carry real weight given the freshman studies model's emphasis on active engagement with ideas from day one.

After graduation

Graduates go on to graduate and conservatory programs, arts and performance careers, and a wide range of professional fields; the psychology and physics programs feed strong placement into doctoral study, and alumni networks in music are especially active.

Worth knowing

The conservatory-and-college pairing is the defining structural feature — a student uninterested in music still lives alongside serious musicians daily, which noticeably shapes campus culture.

lawrence.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate63.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1200–1420 · ACT 24–31

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionDec 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying