Amherst College vs Hillsdale College

Amherst College and Hillsdale College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, stand apart in their unique offerings and distinct academic experiences. Amherst, a liberal arts college nestled in the heart of Massachusetts, boasts an acceptance rate of 13.2%, while Hillsdale, a private liberal arts college in Michigan, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 24.4%. Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with Amherst excelling in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, and Hillsdale emphasizing the liberal arts, business, and education. While Amherst's student body comprises 54% female and 46% male students, Hillsdale's student population leans slightly more towards males, with a 48% female and 52% male ratio. With graduation rates of 94% and 88% respectively, both colleges demonstrate a strong commitment to student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the nuances that set these two
Amherst College logo

Amherst College

Hillsdale College logo

Hillsdale College

Overview

Location Amherst, Massachusetts Hillsdale, Michigan
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 94.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Undenominational

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.7% 23.7%
Application fees $60
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $25
SAT range 1370 - 1550 1340 - 1510
ACT range 32 - 34 30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 36.0% 22.0%
Students submitting ACT score 31.0% 38.0%
Total number of applicants 13,999 2,994
Total number of admissions given out 1,224 709
Admitted students who chose to enroll 515 397
Yield rate 42.1% 56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,050 $45,382
Average net price $18,809 $24,057
Tuition $60,700 $28,730
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,700

Meal plan: $7,400
Room/dormitory: $6,020

Meal plan: $6,120
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

61.0%
Average amount $58,644
100.0%
Average amount $20,535
Students receiving federal student loan 10.0%
Average amount $5,233
0.0%
Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans 3.0%
Average amount $16,803
34.0%
Average amount $10,497

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,971
Men 48.6% Women 51.4%
1,515
Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students N/A 87
Men 67.8% Women 32.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
N/A
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 10.4% N/A
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 2,000 1,124
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
  • Business
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio 7:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 92.4% 87.6%
Dropout rate 2.5% 8.3%
Transferred out 3.6% 3.9%
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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