Kenyon College

Kenyon College's published cost of attendance is $87,590. Need-based financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $18,242, middle-income families pay around $19,156, and higher-income families pay approximately $51,432.

Azimuth ranks Kenyon College #1316 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Kenyon College meets demonstrated financial need for admitted students through need-based aid packages that combine grants, loans, and work-study. The college uses the FAFSA and CSS Profile to assess need and constructs aid packages without merit components.

Families should review the college's financial aid page for current aid policies and to understand how their specific circumstances may affect their aid eligibility and package composition. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $18,527, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $56,500; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $57,786, median federal debt of $18,527 projects to a monthly payment of about $209 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of Kenyon College earn median 4-year earnings of $57,786, placing Kenyon College in the 32.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $57,042 median at comparable institutions.

Azimuth ranks Kenyon College #428 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Kenyon College's strength in fields where liberal arts training translates into sustained career advancement and professional mobility.

The institution's program portfolio centers on Social Sciences, which accounts for substantial degree output and drives much of the earnings profile. English Language and Literature, General is the largest program with 70 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $52,945, at roughly 1.1x the national benchmark for the field.

The Economics program graduates 61 students with median 4-year earnings of $103,791, performing at approximately 1.3x the field benchmark. Psychology, General and Political Science round out the top programs by scale, each anchoring career pathways that extend well into the professional middle class.

The breadth of Kenyon College's program mix — spanning English Language and Literature, General, Economics, Psychology, General, and Political Science — supports consistent outcomes across multiple fields rather than concentration in a single high-earning cluster, a pattern that contributes to the institution's strong return on investment standing.

Kenyon College's program mix is anchored in the social sciences, humanities, and analytical fields — a signature aligned with the institution's liberal arts identity. English Language and Literature, General is the largest program with 70 graduates, followed by Economics, Psychology, General, Political Science, and American History (United States).

Across 0 ranked programs, several deliver strong four-year earnings outcomes that reflect the institution's positioning as a selective liberal arts college. The highest-earning programs cluster in quantitative and analytical fields.

Economics graduates earn median earnings of $103,791 four years after enrollment, followed by International/Globalization Studies at $72,305, Fine and Studio Arts at $53,620, and English Language and Literature, General at $52,945. The concentration of earnings strength in these fields reflects Kenyon College's depth in Social Sciences, where graduates develop analytical and communication skills that translate into competitive labor-market outcomes.

Several of these programs are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the national workforce directly and earnings reflect broad labor-market demand. Others are grad-school-dependent fields where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school.

The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how Kenyon College's dominant program families align with national wage trends and career mobility patterns.