Augustana University vs Macalester College

Augustana University and Macalester College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Augustana, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Macalester's selective admissions (35%). While Augustana's student body is predominantly White (80%), Macalester's student population is more diverse, with a significant international presence (13%). Both institutions excel in academics, with Augustana's popular majors including Nursing, Business, and Education, while Macalester's strengths lie in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. Macalester's higher graduation rate (86%) indicates its commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional colleges. Dive into the details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Augustana University	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.8%	31.3%
Application fees	$60	$40
SAT range	1020 - 1300	1340 - 1515
ACT range	22 - 28	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	73.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	2,257	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	1,621	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	467	601
Yield rate	28.8%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,114	$76,357
Average net price	$26,795	$30,939
Tuition	$34,934	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,930 Meal plan: $4,928	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,606	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $6,261	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,036	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,715 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	307 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	44.6%	N/A
International students	6.5%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,380	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Minnesota Iowa Nebraska Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Business	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	89.7%
Dropout rate	9.3%	10.0%
Transferred out	19.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,050 Year 2: $57,724 Year 3: $60,403 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,860 Year 2: $44,666 Year 3: $51,957 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,320 Year 2: $48,883 Year 3: $49,768 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,995 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,863 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,410 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $43,036 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,736 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,851 Year 3: $42,185 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,193 Year 2: $37,928 Year 3: $40,435 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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