Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise takes $85,525 – $186,930 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $36,640 – $50,140. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated. The ledger below itemizes every figure we can source for Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan, each one dated, so you can check the numbers before anyone gets your contact details.
Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $36,640 | $50,140 | $36,640 to $50,140 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $85,525 | $186,930 | $85,525 to $186,930 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $85,525 | $186,930 | $85,525 to $186,930 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
How Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's disclosed cost sits against the Education & Arts category:
- Minimum startup cost of $85,525 — about in line with the Education & Arts median of $100,538.
- Initial franchise fee of $36,640 — about 18% below the Education & Arts median of $44,750.
Category medians are computed from the Education & Arts brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Education & Arts franchises
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How Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2019–2021: began the window at 484 units; 57 units opened, 67 closed, ending at 474 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise
Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan is an education & arts franchisor with 474 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2019 and 2021, it began the window at 484 units; its filings record 57 unit openings and 67 closures, ending at 474 units.
Disclosure filings report 8 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
Sylvan Learning Center is a prominent educational franchise established in 1979 that provides personalized tutoring and academic support for students of all ages, focusing on subjects like reading, writing, and math. With features such as tailored programs, qualified instructors, technology integration, and flexible scheduling, Sylvan aims to enhance student learning and offers franchise opportunities for those interested in operating a tutoring center.
Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan franchise cost?
- $85,525 – $186,930 all-in to open, per Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan units are there?
- 474 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Sylvan Learning Center | Sylvan Learning | Sylvan's units held up?
- 87.6% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).