Amherst College vs Wellesley College

Amherst College and Wellesley College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, a coeducational college, boasts a lower acceptance rate (10.4%) compared to Wellesley's (22.5%), indicating its highly selective admissions process. While Amherst's student body is more diverse, Wellesley stands out for its all-female student population. In terms of academics, Amherst offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like Economics, English, and Political Science, while Wellesley excels in STEM fields, with Biology, Neuroscience, and Computer Science among its most sought-after programs. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst's at 94% and Wellesley's at 93%, reflecting their commitment to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Wellesley, Massachusetts
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
Students retention rate	98.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	16.2%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	1400 - 1540
ACT range	32 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	606
Yield rate	42.1%	48.9%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$64,602
Average net price	$18,809	$21,862
Tuition	$60,700	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $9,704 Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,000	2,211
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	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	92.1%
Dropout rate	2.5%	7.8%
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: $110,380 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $124,973 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,781 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,094 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $62,505 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,749 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,043 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,693 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $46,471 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,849 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $45,061 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,002 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,658 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,587 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Amherst College vs Wellesley College

Amherst College

Wellesley College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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