St Lawrence University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Canton, New York. It enrolls 1,918 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Strong
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes86
Value35
Affordability20
Selectivity85
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
St Lawrence University admits 54.3% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
54.3%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1255 – 1420
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
30 – 33
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether St Lawrence University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
16.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $28,651 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$65,900
Room & Board (on-campus)
$17,000
Room & Board (off-campus)
$6,750
Books & Supplies
$750
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$900
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$900
Total Cost of Attendance
$82,000
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$13,420
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,008
$48,001 – $75,000
$19,401
$75,001 – $110,000
$24,263
Over $110,000
$37,450
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50010%percentile
$13,83825%percentile
$27,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$31,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $22,250
↓ $4,750
No Pell $22,750
↓ $4,250
Female students $23,250
↓ $3,750
Male students $20,807
↓ $6,193
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,000, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
79% of students who start here finish within six years, and 89% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
79%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
89%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $67,258 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$67,258
Earning > $25K
85%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$51,500
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$70,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$54,200
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$61,600
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$60,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $18,500, about 26% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.3 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 96% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,918 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
1,918
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
13%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 75.8%1,453
International 10.8%208
Hispanic 5.5%106
Other 2.6%49
Black 2.2%42
Asian 1.7%33
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at St Lawrence University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
St Lawrence University offers
a varied set of programs:
33 distinct programs across
18 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$496M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$92,018
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
178 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
50
28%
$114,427
Associate Professors
74
42%
$92,858
Assistant Professors
51
29%
$70,581
Instructors
1
1%
$60,640
Lecturers
2
1%
$63,085
Pros & Cons of St Lawrence University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where St Lawrence University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, St Lawrence University is a fit for
students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about St Lawrence University
The questions families ask most about St Lawrence University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is St Lawrence University hard to get into?
Admissions at St Lawrence University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 54.3%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at St Lawrence University?
54.3% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for St Lawrence University?
Aim for 1420 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1255 and 1420 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for St Lawrence University?
Aim for 33 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 30 and 33 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does St Lawrence University cost?
Budget around $28,651 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is St Lawrence University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $67,258 a year against a net price of $28,651, about 2.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is St Lawrence University known for?
Mostly Business, Psychology, Economics. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do St Lawrence University graduates earn?
About $67,258 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is St Lawrence University accredited?
Yes. St Lawrence University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend St Lawrence University?
1,918 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at St Lawrence University?
79% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is St Lawrence University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is St Lawrence University located?
St Lawrence University is located in Canton, New York.
What programs does St Lawrence University offer?
33 different programs, most commonly Business, Psychology, Economics. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at St Lawrence University?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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