Is Dale Carnegie or Sylvan Learning cheaper to open?

Dale Carnegie costs $93,400–$245,800 and Sylvan Learning costs $107,922–$239,012 to open (FDD Item 7). Dale Carnegie has the lower entry cost.

Which is safer, Dale Carnegie or Sylvan Learning?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 15.4% for Dale Carnegie and 23.8% for Sylvan Learning. Lower is safer, so Dale Carnegie has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Which is the better franchise, Dale Carnegie or Sylvan Learning?

FranchiseVerdict grades Dale Carnegie B and Sylvan Learning B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Dale Carnegie vs Sylvan Learning

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Dale Carnegie and Sylvan Learning are education franchises. Dale Carnegie requires an investment of $93K – $246K while Sylvan Learning requires $108K – $239K. Sylvan Learning discloses average revenue of $386K; Dale Carnegie makes no financial performance representation in its Item 19, which is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule. On SBA loan performance, Dale Carnegie has a lower charge-off rate (15.4%) compared to Sylvan Learning (23.8%). FranchiseVerdict rates Dale Carnegie B (Above average) and Sylvan Learning B (Above average).

Metric	Dale Carnegie	Sylvan Learning
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	BAbove average
Investment Range	$93K – $246K	$108K – $239K
Franchise Fee	$20K	$37K
Royalty Rate	12.0%	11.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	$386K
SBA Charge-Off Rate	15.4% (24 loans)	23.8% (356 loans)
Total Units	143	478
Unit Growth (YoY)	+1 units	+5 units
Year Began Franchising	2000	2003
FDD Year	2021	2025