Babson College vs Principia College

Babson College and Principia College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Babson, located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is a private business school with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Principia, on the other hand, is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, with a Christian Science foundation. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Babson College logo

Babson College

Principia College logo

Principia College

Overview

Location Wellesley, Massachusetts Elsah, Illinois
Campus setting Suburb: Large Rural: Fringe
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 94.0% 81.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 25.4% 84.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $100
SAT range 1330 - 1480 1028 - 1193
ACT range 30 - 33 21 - 28
Students submitting SAT score 34.0% 30.0%
Students submitting ACT score 14.0% 13.0%
Total number of applicants 7,104 138
Total number of admissions given out 1,801 116
Admitted students who chose to enroll 650 79
Yield rate 36.1% 68.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,360 $42,820
Average net price $29,105 $19,816
Tuition $54,944 $29,970
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $11,910

Meal plan: $6,324
Room/dormitory: $5,810

Meal plan: $6,460
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

50.0%
Average amount $42,890
94.0%
Average amount $25,174
Students receiving federal student loan 30.0%
Average amount $3,892
0.0%
Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans 8.0%
Average amount $24,863
94.0%
Average amount $2,016

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,576
Men 56.9% Women 43.1%
321
Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students 1,108
Men 58.1% Women 41.9%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 92.7%
International students 30.8% 24.3%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity 1,988 585
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 5:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 93.7% 85.9%
Dropout rate 6.1% 14.1%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,003
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $118,620
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,039
  • Year 2: $61,600
  • Year 3: $76,406
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,923
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: N/A
N/A