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Earlham College: Earlham School of Religion sign
Photo: Seandreas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Liberal arts college

#10 Best colleges in Indiana

Earlham College

Richmond, IN · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $24,714 a year

Median debt at graduation: $23,488 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

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Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

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In Indiana

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Academic Excellence

A-Academic Excellence: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Excellent · Top 12%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.69%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.77%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,219 · ACT 28.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.7 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$38,316

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$17,178
$30,001–$48,000$15,658
$48,001–$75,000$19,768
$75,001–$110,000$26,136
Over $110,000$31,058

Full cost of attendance before aid: $67,684 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
635
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 47% · Women 53%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
23%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
63%
Total students696
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$24,714
Cost of attendance (per year)$67,684
Median federal debt at graduation$23,488
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
69%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
52%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
48%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
78%
First-year retention77%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$50,797
Admission rate73%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
No application fee
Students receiving Pell grants24%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1110–1290ACT 24–33
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1219
SAT reading & writing570–660
SAT math540–630
ACT composite24–33
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Good (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Business administration$60,745

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Area studies, Biochemistry, Biology, Broadcasting, Chemistry, Classics, Computer science, Data Science, Economics, Engineering (general), Ethnic and gender studies, Experimental psychology, Fine arts, General studies, Geology and earth science, German, History, Human services, Interdisciplinary studies, International relations, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Mathematics, Museology/Museum Studies, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Other english language and literature/letters, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Psychology, Public Policy Analysis, Religious studies, Romance languages, Sociology, Sociology and Anthropology, Theatre, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Biology22%
Business16%
Psychology10%
Visual and performing arts9%
Foreign languages6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates1%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older1%
On-campus room and board (per year)$13,985
SportsNCAA Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member7 to 1
Faculty who are full-time96%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$629,875Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsJames M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY)About 37 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population35,5812020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreCincinnatiAbout 52 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January28°F1991–2020 normal, from RICHMOND WTR WKS, IN US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July74°F1991–2020 normal, from RICHMOND WTR WKS, IN US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape2.660.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Earlham College’s Compass Score?
Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 26% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Earlham College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $24,714 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Earlham College?
Earlham College admitted 73% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Earlham College’s graduates do?
69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $50,797; the median federal debt at graduation is $23,488.

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