Sterling College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Sterling College is a private college in Kansas that admits roughly 48% of applicants, which puts it in the selective range. A rate like this means it admits a minority of applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Sterling College weighs, where it ranks among Kansas schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Sterling College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Sterling College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Sterling College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Sterling College?
At Sterling College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 48% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Sterling College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Sterling College hard to get into?
Sterling College is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 48% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into Sterling College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Sterling College, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. Sterling College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Sterling College?
Sterling College does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1120. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Sterling College.
Your chances at Sterling College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Sterling College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Sterling College with a 3.5 GPA and a 1060 SAT?
About 71% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 1060 SAT, the middle of Sterling College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.8 GPA with a 1120 SAT comes out near 86%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/sterling-college.
How to get into Sterling College
Built from Sterling College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Sterling College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Sterling College carries about a 3.47 core GPA and a 1070 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
Sterling College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Sterling College's exact dates at www.sterling.edu.
How many students apply to Sterling College, and how many get in?
826 students applied to Sterling College for fall 2023; 438 were admitted (53%). 142 enrolled. Only about 32% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Sterling College enrolls about 538 undergraduates in total, 42% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Sterling College?
Sterling College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Sterling College looks for
What Sterling College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Sterling College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Sterling College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Sterling College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Sterling College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Sterling College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $47,185 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $33,700. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $22,371 a year, and it ranges from $19,068 for families earning under $30,000 to $26,602 for families earning over $110,000. 37% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Sterling College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Sterling College students ten years after entry are $45,846 ($40,722 at the six-year mark). 41% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 50% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $24,625; 49% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Sterling College compares in Kansas
Sterling College ranks #1 most selective of 25 schools in Kansas in our database.
Among the 25 Kansas schools we track, Sterling College ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Central Christian College at 53%.
Similar to Sterling College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Sterling College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Santa Clara University, Austin College, and Rollins College. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sterling College's acceptance rate?
Sterling College admitted 438 of 826 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 53% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 32% of admitted students enrolled.
Is Sterling College test-optional?
Yes. Sterling College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Sterling College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Sterling College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $22,371 a year against a sticker price of about $47,185. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $19,068 on average.
What do Sterling College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Sterling College are $45,846 a year among students who received federal aid, and 41% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Sterling College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Sterling College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Sterling College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Sterling College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Sterling College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Sterling College specifically.
Is Sterling College a target or a reach for an average applicant?
For an applicant whose GPA and scores sit near Sterling College's admitted range, it generally reads as a target rather than a reach. Run your exact profile through the free calculator to see your personal verdict.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.