The Ailey School
Private College in New York, NY. Six-year graduation rate 84%. Median 10-year earnings $22,782.
Ten-year median earnings of $22,782 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate of 84% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $17,500, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Graduation rate 84% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.77 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
The Ailey School admits 32% of applicants and is genuinely selective — roughly two in three applicants are turned away. With 117 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. Yield is high — 50% of admitted students go on to enroll, well above the typical rate.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at The Ailey School →Academics
A 84% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. 95% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The 3:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. At 88 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 88 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $35,855 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $24,176 while those at $110k+ pay $39,468. Grant aid reaches 55% of students at an average of $6,552. About 36% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 21 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $24,176 |
| $30–48k | $27,226 |
| $48–75k | $29,508 |
| $75–110k | $36,319 |
| $110k+ | $39,468 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 32 of these 88 students, totalling $189,534 — an average of $5,923 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (New York County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)