June 16
4:00pm - 8:30pm
Student Commons Courtyard (Lower Quad)
Welcoming prospective students and their families to learn more about what Sweet Briar could offer them, as future students.
At Sweet Briar, you’ll get the personalized attention that results in long term success.
We know that parents and families often have different questions than prospective students do. The Sweet Briar admissions team is here to work with your whole family and get you the answers you need.
Our class sizes historically averages about eight students. We can focus on mentoring and hands-on learning in all majors. Our innovative academic calendar includes two 3-week terms designed for internships, research and other experiential learning opportunities. 60% of our students do research with faculty, a key credential for graduate admissions, which is maybe why we average 100% admissions for veterinary school!
We’re particularly committed to increasing the number of women in STEM fields, from environmental stewardship to engineering. We have an ABET-accredited engineering science program — along with other STEM programs.
The best way to prepare for leadership is to become a leader. 80% of our students hold a formal leadership role in a student organization. Our four-year, innovative core curriculum focuses on women’s leadership to help Sweet Briar alumnae carry their leadership experience into the broader world.
90% of our alumnae have jobs or are in graduate school within six months of graduation.
80 percent of our students complete at least one internship.
Our long tradition of women’s leadership has led to a particularly strong alumnae network. Our alumnae are famous for being generous with their time. Hundreds of alumnae stand by to offer general career advice on our Alumnifire site, for example.
Sweet Briar’s learning environment is supportive, collegial and free from misogyny. Classes feature hands-on learning and discussion. Students have multiple opportunities to be engaged with their college and the broader community through leadership experiences, internships and research.
*Statistics taken from the Women’s College Coalition website.
We encourage all families to submit the FAFSA. You have to submit the FAFSA to be eligible for federal government aid. Sweet Briar offers need-blind merit aid, even if you do not fill out a FAFSA. However, your total financial aid package from the College may be greater if you submit the FAFSA..
You can complete the FAFSA several ways:
Wanda Spradley, our director of financial aid, has been working at the College for more than 25 years, so she knows her stuff. Check out this blog Wanda wrote for details on filling out your FAFSA. And don’t be afraid to reach out to our financial aid office if you have questions!
We’re proud that only a very small number of Sweet Briar graduates default on their student loans. Partly, that’s because our financial aid office does a great job meeting with students one-on-one and educating them about student loans and what they need to do to stay current on their payments. It’s also because our students graduate and get jobs that enable them to pay their loans back.
Over 90% of students live on campus, in one of seven traditional residence halls. They’re supported in the residence halls by resident advisors, resident coordinators and peer academic mentors. Then there are some who live in our modern apartment-style complex.
Sweet Briar is known for our food! Our dining services partner is Meriwether Godsey. They provide nutritious meals that are sourced from our greenhouse, gardens and other local providers. Our meals are made from scratch daily, with diet- and allergy-sensitive options. You can learn more about them and see daily and weekly menus here.
We encourage parents and families to be involved with life at the College. We host Families Weekend every year, generally early in October. We have a Parents’ Council, made up of parent volunteers, who help keep our families informed about events on campus and who regularly meet with folks on campus to speak about issues important to parents. The council also has a closed Facebook group, just for current parents, where folks can ask questions of other parents and of members of the College administration.
You can also check out our news site, which features student and faculty news, upcoming events, feature stories and more.
Sweet Briar’s Undergraduate College Catalog, updated annually, contains just about every piece of information you need to know about Sweet Briar, including a list of members of the administration, college fees, general information about the College and the services available to students, and detailed information about courses and requirements for graduation.
The most commonly sought-after information is the list of courses and requirements for each major.
June 16
4:00pm - 8:30pm
Student Commons Courtyard (Lower Quad)
Welcoming prospective students and their families to learn more about what Sweet Briar could offer them, as future students.
June 17
7:00am - 2:00pm
Josey Dining Room, Prothro Atrium
Welcoming prospective students to campus to learn more about what Sweet Briar College could offer them if they choose to study here.