Amherst College vs Carleton College

Amherst College and Carleton College, both highly selective liberal arts institutions, offer students a rigorous academic experience and a vibrant campus community. However, there are some key differences between the two schools. Amherst, located in Massachusetts, has a slightly higher acceptance rate (13.6% vs. 12.9%) and a larger student body (1,851 vs. 2,129). Carleton, situated in Minnesota, boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (92% vs. 91%) and a more diverse student body (22% students of color vs. 17% at Amherst). Additionally, Carleton offers a wider range of popular majors, including environmental studies, computer science, and economics, while Amherst is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences. To help you make an informed decision about which college is the right fit for you, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more.

	Amherst College	Carleton College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	17.5%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	1408 - 1550
ACT range	32 - 34	31 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	34.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	7,915
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	1,389
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	555
Yield rate	42.1%	40.0%
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	$78,315
Average net price	$18,809	$31,718
Tuition	$60,700	$59,850
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	65.0% Average amount $45,715
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	45.0% Average amount $3,914
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	2.0% Average amount $14,334

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	81.5%
International students	10.4%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,000	1,854
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	91.4%
Dropout rate	2.5%	8.3%
Transferred out	3.6%	N/A
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A

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