Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA134 Chapel Drive, Sweet Briar, VA 24595-9998
434-381-6100
Sweet Briar College is a women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, United States, about 12 miles (19 km) north of Lynchburg. The college is on 3,250 acres (1,300 ha) in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Founded in 1901 as Sweet Briar Institute, it was chartered on February 23, 1901, as a four-year liberal arts college and became Sweet Briar College on June 10, 1916. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
In 2015, Sweet Briar announced it would be closing at the end of the summer session due to financial difficulties. This generated significant controversy, with many alumnae and students advocating for the college to remain open. The Virginia Attorney General's office launched an investigation into the college's finances and governance. In early June, the Board of Directors voted to keep the college open, and on August 3, 2015, the college announced it had raised the $20 million necessary to stay open.
Sweet Briar College offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in 34 majors and 32 minors. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1 and the average class size is 15. There are about 700 students enrolled at the college. The college is known for its equestrian program, which is one of the oldest and largest in the country. The college also has strong programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and engineering.
Sweet Briar College was founded in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams. Williams, a wealthy widowed former teacher, donated her 3,250-acre (1,300 ha) farm estate in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Methodist Episcopal Church with the intention that it be used to establish a women's college. The school was chartered on February 23, 1901, as Sweet Briar Institute and opened its doors to students on September 24, 1906.
The college was originally designed as a women's college that would be "as free as air and water." It was one of the first colleges in the United States to offer need-based financial aid and to accept women of all races. The college also became one of the first to offer study abroad programs and to require internships for graduation.
The college has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1911.
Sweet Briar College is a small liberal arts college for women located in Sweet Briar, Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The college was founded in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams, a wealthy widowed former teacher, who donated her 3,250-acre (1,300 ha) farm estate to the Methodist Episcopal Church with the intention that it be used to establish a women's college. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Sweet Briar College offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in 34 majors and 32 minors. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1 and the average class size is 15. There are about 700 students enrolled at the college. The college is known for its equestrian program, which is one of the oldest and largest in the country. The college also has strong programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and engineering.
In 2015, Sweet Briar College announced it would be closing at the end of the summer session due to financial difficulties. This generated significant controversy, with many alumnae and students advocating for the college to remain open. The Virginia Attorney General's office launched an investigation into the college's finances and governance. In early June, the Board of Directors voted to keep the college open, and on August 3, 2015, the college announced it had raised the $20 million necessary to stay open.
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 362
Acceptance Rate: 75.95%
Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Main Website: https://www.sbc.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.sbc.edu/financial-aid
Annual Costs
Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $40350
Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $40350
Return on Investment Rating
The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at Sweet Briar College is $156494.42. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.
We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at Sweet Briar College. For graduates of Sweet Briar College, we saw an average early-career income of $47100.00 and mid-career income of $86300.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.