Elaine Sterling Institute
Atlanta, GA 30326-2633
About Elaine Sterling Institute
Elaine Sterling Institute is a private for-profit trade school in Atlanta, Georgia, enrolling about 641 students. Programs focus on certificates and workforce credentials that prepare students for skilled trades and technical careers. The published completion rate is about 66.57% at 150% of normal time. Student demographics in federal data include Black or African American (67.7%) and Hispanic or Latino (9.7%) among the largest enrollment groups.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elaine Sterling Institute | — | $30,314 | 1 |
| Private For-profit (national median) | $16,637 | — | 477 |
| Georgia (state median) | $8,492 | $9,196 | 117 |
| Urban (City) (locale median) | $15,200 | $20,053 | 1,346 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Elaine Sterling Institute really?
Evidence: average net price at Elaine Sterling Institute versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Elaine Sterling Institute is $30,314.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $30,314 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $21,118 above the Georgia median net price. Versus urban (city) campuses, net price runs $10,261 above the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Elaine Sterling Institute: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Elaine Sterling Institute—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
High completion indicates students finish programs at scale; it does not alone measure instructional quality or labor-market fit.
Financial profile
Avg. net price
$30,314
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $29,550 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $31,145 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $32,688 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $31,521 |
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Elaine Sterling Institute is known for
Top program completions
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist311
- Real Estate Development66
- Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage36
- Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General24
See earnings & programs for more.
Is Elaine Sterling Institute a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Elaine Sterling Institute is a good school for those looking for high program completion rates.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Elaine Sterling Institute.
Campus
Location
Atlanta, GA
City / state
- ZIP
- 30326-2633
- NCES locale
- City
Compared with Urban (City) campuses nationally, net price is 51% above the median for Urban (City) campuses ($20,053 median).
Control
Institution type
Private For-profit
Control
- Region
- Southeast
Size
Enrollment
641
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 1,075
- Full-time share
- 92%
Student aid
Debt & aid
$9,500
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 64.22%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Elaine Sterling Institute.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Elaine Sterling Institute was 0.00%.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Elaine Sterling Institute in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | — | — | $27,339 |
| 2014 | — | — | $27,945 |
| 2015 | — | — | $30,705 |
| 2016 | — | — | $32,361 |
| 2017 | — | — | $29,734 |
| 2018 | — | — | $30,872 |
| 2019 | — | — | $20,565 |
| 2020 | — | — | $17,470 |
| 2021 | — | — | $20,070 |
| 2022 | — | — | $22,910 |
| 2023 | — | — | $23,335 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.
Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Elaine Sterling Institute reported total enrollment of about 641 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 7% male and 93% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes Black or African American (67.7%), Hispanic or Latino (9.7%), and White (9.2%). About 64.22% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 41.4% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
91.7% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Elaine Sterling Institute in 2024 is 641 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 1,075 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
71.5%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
17.31% 100% Completion Time
66.57% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 17.31% of students graduating from Elaine Sterling Institute completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist: 2% male / 98% female
- Real Estate Development: 2% male / 98% female
- Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage: 17% male / 83% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
What do Elaine Sterling Institute graduates earn—and in which programs?
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Elaine Sterling Institute.
Evidence Median federal loan debt: $9,500. Average net price used in cost models: $30,314.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Elaine Sterling Institute.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 4 programs by IPEDS completions (5 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Elaine Sterling Institute.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Elaine Sterling Institute graduates.
Institutional resources
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Elaine Sterling Institute—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Instructional Resources
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $1,913
- Georgia median 0.33× the median ($5,760)
- Southeast median 0.29× the median ($6,602)
- U.S. median 0.26× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.
Elaine Sterling Institute at a glance
Elaine Sterling Institute
Elaine Sterling Institute is a private for-profit institution in Atlanta, GA.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care SpecialistReal Estate DevelopmentMassage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Largest enrollment groups
- Black or African American67.7%Hispanic or Latino9.7%White or Caucasian9.2%
Schools near Elaine Sterling Institute
Other campuses in Atlanta, GA when available, plus nearby institutions in Georgia.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within Georgia, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Elaine Sterling Institute located?
Elaine Sterling Institute is located in Atlanta, GA.
How much does Elaine Sterling Institute cost?
Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $30,314 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What is the student body demographics at Elaine Sterling Institute?
Elaine Sterling Institute reports undergraduate enrollment of about 1,075 students, Black or African American (67.7%), Hispanic or Latino (9.7%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Elaine Sterling Institute?
About 41.4% of students at Elaine Sterling Institute are first-generation college students.
What is the graduation rate at Elaine Sterling Institute?
The 150%-time completion rate is 66.6% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Elaine Sterling Institute students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $9,500.
Is Elaine Sterling Institute public or private?
Elaine Sterling Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Atlanta, GA.
Is Elaine Sterling Institute an HBCU?
No. Elaine Sterling Institute is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Elaine Sterling Institute a tribal college?
No. Elaine Sterling Institute is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Is Elaine Sterling Institute a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?
Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Elaine Sterling Institute does not meet that proxy (reported share 9.7%).
Is Elaine Sterling Institute religiously affiliated?
No religious affiliation is reported for Elaine Sterling Institute in IPEDS institutional characteristics.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.