Sweet Briar College

About Sweet Briar College

Thinking about Sweet Briar College, a college in Virginia where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Sweet Briar College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It enrolls 443 students (a very small, intimate 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.

Official website: sbc.edu

Acceptance

75.5%

Graduation

34.5%

Net Price

$17,758

Median Earnings (10yr)

$51,943

Enrollment

443

Student : Faculty

9:1

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.

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Sweet Briar College admits 75.5% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Sweet Briar College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

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 $17,758 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees

$26,160

Room & Board (on-campus)

$15,230

Room & Board (off-campus)

$8,000

Books & Supplies

$1,400

Other Expenses (on-campus)

$2,850

Other Expenses (off-campus)

$3,000

Total Cost of Attendance

$43,898

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
  $11,734
• $30,001 – $48,000
  $12,568
• $48,001 – $75,000
  $15,247
• $75,001 – $110,000
  $20,188
• Over $110,000
  $24,710

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.

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.

Graduation Rate & Retention

34% of students who start here finish within six years, and 73% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. 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.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $51,943 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

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.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 443 students, an intimate, close-knit community.

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Sweet Briar College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Natural Resources graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Sweet Briar College offers a varied set of programs: 17 distinct programs across 13 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.

Faculty & Resources

There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Faculty by Rank

45 instructional faculty across 4 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.

Pros & Cons of Sweet Briar College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Sweet Briar College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.