Amherst College vs Oberlin College

Amherst College and Oberlin College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, located in the historic town of Amherst, Massachusetts, boasts a lower acceptance rate (10.6%) compared to Oberlin's (32.4%). Amherst students primarily pursue majors in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, while Oberlin students have a wider range of options, including a renowned conservatory of music. Oberlin's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and students of color. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst's at 94% and Oberlin's at 88%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	34.3%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1370 - 1550	1338 - 1460
ACT range	32 - 34	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	864
Yield rate	42.1%	23.7%
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	$73,914
Average net price	$18,809	$44,689
Tuition	$60,700	$59,384
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	93.0% Average amount $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,000	2,694
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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	82.3%
Dropout rate	2.5%	17.3%
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 and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

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