Barnard College vs Muhlenberg College

Barnard College and Muhlenberg College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Barnard, a women's college affiliated with Columbia University, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 12%, while Muhlenberg, a coeducational liberal arts college, maintains a more accessible acceptance rate of 65%. Both colleges excel in academics, with Barnard's strengths lying in the humanities and social sciences, and Muhlenberg excelling in the natural sciences and business. While Barnard's student body is predominantly female, Muhlenberg's is more evenly balanced, with a slightly higher percentage of male students. Additionally, Barnard's location in New York City provides ample opportunities for cultural exploration, while Muhlenberg's suburban setting in Allentown, Pennsylvania, offers a more intimate and close-knit community. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more

	Barnard College	Muhlenberg College
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Allentown, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
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	97.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	11.5%	67.8%
Application fees	$75	$50
SAT range	1425 - 1550	1200 - 1370
ACT range	32 - 34	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	10,395	4,118
Total number of admissions given out	1,192	2,790
Admitted students who chose to enroll	769	450
Yield rate	64.5%	16.1%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,693	$71,880
Average net price	$28,366	$30,920
Tuition	$57,734	$55,095
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,206 Meal plan: $7,280	Room/dormitory: $7,035 Meal plan: $5,765
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $44,482	97.0% Average amount $37,483
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $1,946	62.0% Average amount $5,381
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $13,974	7.0% Average amount $24,182

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,043 Men 0.3% Women 99.7%	2,074 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	N/A	21 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	70.3%	N/A
International students	12.6%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,411	1,922
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 Mississippi Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Ethnic Studies Public Administration and Social Service	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Business Communication and Journalism Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.8%	82.0%
Dropout rate	2.7%	17.9%
Transferred out	4.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,217 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $87,791 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,807 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $67,484 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,701 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $60,852 Urban Studies/Affairs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,271 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $55,821 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,646 Year 3: $53,521 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $52,302 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,848 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $50,891 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,983 Year 2: $39,648 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,340 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,675 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,892 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $76,365 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,174 Year 2: $63,430 Year 3: $70,575 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,828 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $56,960 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,684 Year 2: $54,644 Year 3: $56,688 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,496 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $52,763 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,541 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $47,919 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,225 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $44,789 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,411 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $44,431 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,407 Year 2: $34,298 Year 3: $39,267 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,426 Year 2: $19,749 Year 3: $24,340

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