Kenyon College

Kenyon College is a selective private nonprofit college in Gambier, Ohio. It admits about 1 in 3 applicants, graduates 82% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $71,830 ten years after starting college, more than 96% of the Ohio colleges we cover.

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Acceptance rate
31%

More selective than 98% of Ohio colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$38,512 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $87,590. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
82%

Higher than 98% of Ohio colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$71,830

Higher than 96% of Ohio colleges we cover and 87% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Kenyon College acceptance rate & admissions

Of 8,218 applicants, Kenyon College admitted 2,524 and 455 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1358–1503 on the SAT or 31–33 on the ACT.

8,218
Applied
2,524
Admitted
455
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1358–1503
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years31–33
First-years who sent SAT scores20%
First-year students who return92%
Pell Grant recipients10%
Women / men56% / 44%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Kenyon College tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$71,520
Housing & meals, on campus$14,410
Books & supplies$1,900
Total cost of attendance$87,590

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$15,000
Loan default rate0.5%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $5,000 a year at private nonprofit colleges in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)

What Kenyon College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Kenyon College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$18,242$77,1642.1 years
$30–48k$26,319$111,3293.1 years
$48–75k$19,156$81,0302.2 years
$75–110k$23,757$100,4922.8 years
$110k+$51,432$217,5576.0 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (67% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($71,830) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $36,392 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Ohio for your income →

Kenyon College majors, earnings & careers

Kenyon College offers 32 bachelor's majors across 5 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 15
  • Science & Math · 7
  • Arts & Design · 5
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
  • Business & Finance · 1

Highest-earning majors at Kenyon College

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Economics$103,791$18,718
International / Global Studies$72,305—
Studio Art$53,620$15,500
English$52,945$19,000
Quick list of all 32 majors
  • Anthropology—
  • Area Studies—
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology—
  • Chemistry—
  • Classics—
  • Dance—
  • East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
  • Economics$103,791
  • English$52,945
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies—
  • Film and Photography—
  • German—
  • History—
  • International / Global Studies$72,305
  • Linguistics—
  • Mathematics—
  • Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Music—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Philosophy—
  • Physics—
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Studio Art$53,620
  • Theatre—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist

$78,540
Ohio
$82,220
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Biology → Biological technician

$51,080
Ohio
$57,510
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Gambier

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$927/mo

2 bedrooms $1,136.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
34° / 82°

January and July average highs. 42 inches of rain a year, 42 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Low

No hazard rated high.

FEMA National Risk Index, Knox County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)2,184
First-year students from Ohio12%
Next most common home statesNew York, Massachusetts, Illinois
AthleticsNCAA Division III with football · 14 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 66% · Hispanic 8% · Two or more 6% · Asian 4%International 12%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Knox County at a glance

Population63,142
Median household income$73,878
Adults with a bachelor's degree25%
Median age39

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Kenyon College with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Ohio by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Kenyon College31%$38,51282%$71,830This school
Oberlin College34%$38,64581%$58,343
Denison University17%$40,00779%$67,753
Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science46%$19,62273%$66,111
Cleveland Institute of Music47%$28,22672%$32,641

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Kenyon College would cost you $133 less per year than Oberlin College, on average.

  • Higher sticker price at Kenyon College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$4,154).
  • Kenyon College gives aided families $319 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Ohio residentKenyon CollegeOberlin CollegeDifference
Tuition & fees$71,520$67,366+$4,154
Books & supplies$1,900$1,908−$8
Housing & meals$14,410$18,942−$4,532
Personal & travel$1,950$1,908+$42
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,190−$2,720+$530
Sticker price$87,590$87,404+$186
Average grants−$49,078−$48,759−$319
You pay$38,512$38,645−$133

“+” means Kenyon College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Kenyon College

What is the Kenyon College acceptance rate?

Kenyon College accepts 31% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,524 of 8,218 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1358–1503 on the SAT or 31–33 on the ACT.

How much does Kenyon College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $87,590 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $38,512 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $18,242 and families earning $110k+ pay $51,432.

How much do Kenyon College graduates earn?

Former Kenyon College students earn a median $71,830 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Kenyon College graduation rate?

82% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 92% return for their second year.

How long does a Kenyon College degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Kenyon College costs about $81,030 after grants ($19,156 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $71,830 ten years after starting, $36,392 more than high school graduates in Ohio ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 2.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Kenyon College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/kenyon-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).