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Sweet Briar, VA · Private · 443 undergraduates · rural

Sweet Briar College

Moderately selective

A women's liberal-arts college with engineering, a major equestrian program, and a 2,800-plus-acre campus used for hands-on learning.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in academic standing and mobility.
Academic Steady Affordability Steady Career Emerging Mobility Steady Experience Emerging
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Steady
Student experience Emerging
Admission
71.7% admitted

1,136 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
55.9%

$51,943 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Sweet Briar College apart

Academic design

The liberal-arts curriculum includes engineering and environmental work alongside humanities, sciences, business, and the arts, with experiential learning and a women's leadership core built into undergraduate study.

Campus pattern

The 2,800-plus-acre Virginia campus includes extensive riding facilities, forests, lakes, agricultural spaces, and trails, giving outdoor and equestrian life a much larger role than at most small colleges.

Defining feature

A women's liberal-arts college with engineering, a major equestrian program, and a 2,800-plus-acre campus used for hands-on learning.

Can I get in?

71.7% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

1,136

About 72 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 71.7%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1100–1310
9601440
ACT middle 50%21–27
1731

Of admitted students, 25% submitted an SAT, and 9% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA29%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Sweet Briar College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Sweet Briar College weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

The liberal-arts curriculum includes engineering and environmental work alongside humanities, sciences, business, and the arts, with experiential learning and a women's leadership core built into undergraduate study.

02

Make the fit specific

A women's liberal-arts college with engineering, a major equestrian program, and a 2,800-plus-acre campus used for hands-on learning.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Early DecisionNov 1
Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$45,660
Average annual cost after aid$18,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Sweet Briar College

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

A women's liberal-arts college with engineering, a major equestrian program, and a 2,800-plus-acre campus used for hands-on learning.

Complete within 8 years55.9%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one73.2%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$51,943

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Business/Commerce, General

Recent graduates11
Median earnings

Biology, General

Recent graduates9
Median earnings

Natural Resources Conservation and Research

Recent graduates9
Median earnings

Psychology, General

Recent graduates9
Median earnings

Engineering Science

Recent graduates6
Median earnings

What is campus life like?

Sweet Briar College beyond the classroom

The 2,800-plus-acre Virginia campus includes extensive riding facilities, forests, lakes, agricultural spaces, and trails, giving outdoor and equestrian life a much larger role than at most small colleges.

Academics

A defining academic feature

The liberal-arts curriculum includes engineering and environmental work alongside humanities, sciences, business, and the arts, with experiential learning and a women's leadership core built into undergraduate study.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The 2,800-plus-acre Virginia campus includes extensive riding facilities, forests, lakes, agricultural spaces, and trails, giving outdoor and equestrian life a much larger role than at most small colleges.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A women's liberal-arts college with engineering, a major equestrian program, and a 2,800-plus-acre campus used for hands-on learning.

443 undergraduatesSoutheastrural settingCampus housing available