Bard College vs Whittier College

Bard College and Whittier College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bard, a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while Whittier, a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California, maintains a more accessible admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 68%. Both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs, with Bard emphasizing interdisciplinary studies and Whittier showcasing strengths in the sciences and business. Bard's student body is predominantly white and international, while Whittier's student population is more diverse, reflecting the surrounding community. With Bard's graduation rate at 79% and Whittier's at 73%, both colleges demonstrate a commitment to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bard College	Whittier College
Overview
Location	Annandale-On-Hudson, New York	Whittier, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.9%	82.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	1120 - 1340
ACT range	N/A	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		11.0%
Students submitting ACT score		9.0%
Total number of applicants	5,167	2,884
Total number of admissions given out	3,096	2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll	473	277
Yield rate	15.3%	11.6%
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	$72,868	$61,014
Average net price	$24,318	$22,091
Tuition	$57,498	$48,924
Room & board	$16,760	Room/dormitory: $8,216 Meal plan: $6,756
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $50,598	97.0% Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,101	65.0% Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $16,225	6.0% Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,171 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	1,325 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	420 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	62 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	14.7%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,400	849
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Natural Resources and Conservation	Social Sciences Education Family and Consumer Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	63.6%
Dropout rate	9.9%	3.6%
Transferred out	18.3%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,261 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,624 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,518 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,944 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,353 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,051 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $34,282 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $64,434 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,241 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $59,453 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,364 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $54,567 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,650 Year 2: $35,914 Year 3: $47,815 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,730 Year 2: $28,309 Year 3: $42,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,976 Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $38,238 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,267 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $37,247 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,562 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $35,879 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,185 Year 2: $16,015 Year 3: $34,329 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,103 Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: $30,273

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