Amherst College vs Bard College at Simon's Rock

Amherst College and Bard College at Simon's Rock, two esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, with an acceptance rate of 13.2%, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on interdisciplinary studies. Bard at Simon's Rock, known for its early college program, welcomes students as young as 16 and emphasizes experiential learning. While both colleges excel in the humanities and social sciences, Amherst is renowned for its economics and political science programs, while Bard at Simon's Rock is recognized for its environmental studies and arts offerings. With Amherst's 94% graduation rate and Bard at Simon's Rock's 89% graduation rate, both institutions ensure their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Bard College at Simon's Rock
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	80.1%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	32 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	216
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	173
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	111
Yield rate	42.1%	64.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$82,201
Average net price	$18,809	$37,869
Tuition	$60,700	$59,518
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	$16,618
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	95.0% Average amount $38,315
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	47.0% Average amount $5,245
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	5.0% Average amount $23,602

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	328 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	11.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,000	443
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	69.6%
Dropout rate	2.5%	19.1%
Transferred out	3.6%	11.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,775 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,870 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,970 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $85,992 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,271 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,030 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $53,743 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,419 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $46,160 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,744 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,173 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,896 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,310 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	N/A

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Amherst College vs Bard College at Simon's Rock

Amherst College

Bard College at Simon's Rock

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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