More selective than 100% of Kansas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $47,185. College Scorecard.
Higher than 37% of Kansas colleges we cover and 27% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 15% of Kansas colleges we cover and 28% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SC acceptance rate & admissions
Of 826 applicants, Sterling College admitted 438 and 142 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SC 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)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What SC costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Sterling College took 4.4 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 Kansas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,068 | $83,327 | 7.2 years |
| $30–48k | $19,236 | $84,061 | 7.2 years |
| $48–75k | $21,975 | $96,031 | 8.3 years |
| $75–110k | $23,525 | $102,804 | 8.8 years |
| $110k+ | $26,602 | $116,251 | 10.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (19% 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 ($45,846) minus $34,216 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,630 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.
SC majors, earnings & careers
Sterling College offers 41 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at SC
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $38,771 | $27,250 |
Quick list of all 41 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business Administration—
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Criminal Justice—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Human Biology—
- Human Resources—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$38,771
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Education—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Theology and Religious Vocations, Other—
- Writing—
— 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 →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Journalism → Reporter / journalist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 5.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Sterling
2 bedrooms $961.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 29 inches of rain a year, 9 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Rice County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Rice County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SC with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Kansas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling College | 48% | $22,371 | 41% | $45,846 | This school |
| Barclay College | 51% | $29,290 | 32% | $36,355 | |
| Bethany College | 56% | $27,686 | 36% | $49,694 | |
| Friends University | 55% | $27,715 | 43% | $52,113 | |
| Central Christian College of Kansas | 53% | $11,404 | 27% | $44,468 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Sterling College would cost you $6,919 less per year than Barclay College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Sterling College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$9,110).
- Sterling College gives aided families $11,214 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kansas resident | SC | Barclay College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $33,700 | $24,590 | +$9,110 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $1,200 | +$40 |
| Housing & meals | $9,532 | $12,100 | −$2,568 |
| Personal & travel | $4,300 | $3,000 | +$1,300 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,587 | +$2,000 | −$3,587 |
| Sticker price | $47,185 | $42,890 | +$4,295 |
| Average grants | −$24,814 | −$13,600 | −$11,214 |
| You pay | $22,371 | $29,290 | −$6,919 |
“+” means SC 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 SC
What is the SC acceptance rate?
Sterling College accepts 48% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 438 of 826 applicants were admitted.
How much does Sterling College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $47,185 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,371 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $19,068 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,602.
How much do SC graduates earn?
Former Sterling College students earn a median $45,846 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SC graduation rate?
41% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 50% return for their second year.
How long does a SC degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Sterling College costs about $96,031 after grants ($21,975 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,846 ten years after starting, $11,630 more than high school graduates in Kansas ($34,216), so the cost is repaid in 8.3 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: “Sterling College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/sterling-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).