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. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes86
Value35
Affordability20
Selectivity85
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 54.3%, St Lawrence University is moderately selective.
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
The real cost of attending St Lawrence University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $28,651 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$28,651
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
21%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
54%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
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 full-time students who enrolled at St Lawrence University graduate within six years, and 89% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
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
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered St Lawrence University earn a median of $67,258 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
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
St Lawrence University is home 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.
Setting
Town: RemoteCanton, New York
Housing
Strongly residential2,362 beds for 1,918 students
Adult Learners
0%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
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.
The student-to-faculty ratio at St Lawrence University is 11:1, close to the national average.
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
A quick at-a-glance summary of how St Lawrence University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Strong six-year graduation rate
Strong first-year retention
Above-average post-graduation earnings
CONS
Above-average net price
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
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about St Lawrence University.
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?
St Lawrence University has an acceptance rate of 54.3%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for St Lawrence University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at St Lawrence University scored between 1255 and 1420 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
What ACT score do you need for St Lawrence University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at St Lawrence University scored between 30 and 33 on the ACT composite. Scores in the upper half of that range strengthen an application. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does St Lawrence University cost?
The average net price after aid at St Lawrence University is $28,651 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is St Lawrence University worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $67,258 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $28,651 per year. That's roughly 2.3x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is St Lawrence University known for?
St Lawrence University is best known for its programs in Business, Psychology, Economics. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do St Lawrence University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering St Lawrence University are $67,258, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
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?
St Lawrence University enrolls 1,918 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at St Lawrence University?
St Lawrence University graduates 79% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is St Lawrence University a public or private college?
St Lawrence University is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is St Lawrence University located?
St Lawrence University is located in Canton, New York.
What programs does St Lawrence University offer?
St Lawrence University offers 33 distinct programs. The most popular include Business, Psychology, Economics.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at St Lawrence University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at St Lawrence University is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in New York
Other colleges in New York share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.