Amherst College vs Dickinson College

Amherst College and Dickinson College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, with an acceptance rate of 13.2%, boasts a diverse student body, with 52% female and 48% male students. Dickinson, with a slightly higher acceptance rate of 28%, has a more balanced gender ratio, with 49% female and 51% male students. While Amherst's popular majors include Economics, English, and Political Science, Dickinson's strengths lie in Biology, Psychology, and History. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst at 94% and Dickinson at 89%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive in to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Dickinson College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	48.1%
Application fees	$60	$65
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	6,366
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	3,061
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	677
Yield rate	42.1%	22.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$77,300
Average net price	$18,809	$20,913
Tuition	$60,700	$58,158
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $7,866 Meal plan: $7,386
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	92.0% Average amount $39,555
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	41.0% Average amount $3,696
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	16.0% Average amount $9,232

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,180 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	N/A	6 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	12.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,000	2,118
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	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	82.4%
Dropout rate	2.5%	17.6%
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	International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,304 Year 2: $51,750 Year 3: $73,244 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,684 Year 2: $50,320 Year 3: $56,449 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $55,723 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,550 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,461 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $48,836 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,322 Year 2: $40,737 Year 3: $43,711 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $43,177 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,473 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $42,465 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,634 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,617 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $38,644

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