Amherst College vs Sarah Lawrence College

Amherst College and Sarah Lawrence College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, with an acceptance rate of 13.2%, boasts a strong focus on traditional academics, while Sarah Lawrence, with an acceptance rate of 58.4%, emphasizes experiential learning and interdisciplinary studies. Amherst's popular majors include Economics, English, and Political Science, while Sarah Lawrence students often pursue majors in Writing, Psychology, and Visual Arts. Amherst's student body is more diverse, with 48% students of color, compared to Sarah Lawrence's 37%. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst at 94% and Sarah Lawrence at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and find the college that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Sarah Lawrence College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Bronxville, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
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%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	58.5%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	1260 - 1470
ACT range	32 - 34	29 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	4,452
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	2,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	438
Yield rate	42.1%	16.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$77,228
Average net price	$18,809	$34,091
Tuition	$60,700	$58,936
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $10,774 Meal plan: $5,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	90.0% Average amount $36,103
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	48.0% Average amount $5,321
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	5.0% Average amount $18,443

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	1,529 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Graduate students	N/A	237 Men 16.5% Women 83.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,000	1,075
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 Health Professions English Language and Literature Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	76.5%
Dropout rate	2.5%	14.2%
Transferred out	3.6%	9.1%
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	Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,795 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $79,341 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,995 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,788 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,028 Year 2: $21,873 Year 3: $29,006 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $26,708 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,966 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

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Amherst College vs Sarah Lawrence College

Amherst College

Sarah Lawrence College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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