Bates College vs Southwestern University

Bates College and Southwestern University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bates, a liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 14%, while Southwestern, a private university in Georgetown, Texas, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 70%. Bates students pursue a diverse range of majors, with popular choices including economics, biology, and English, while Southwestern students often major in business, education, and psychology. Bates' student body is predominantly White (69%) and female (56%), while Southwestern's student body is more diverse, with a significant Hispanic population (38%) and a gender distribution that is nearly equal. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Bates at 89% and Southwestern at 78%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Southwestern University
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Georgetown, Texas
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	51.0%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	N/A	1150 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		39.0%
Students submitting ACT score		23.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	4,757
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	2,428
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	355
Yield rate	43.6%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,870	$63,000
Average net price	$26,231	$28,496
Tuition	$59,062	$46,800
Room & board	$16,658	Room/dormitory: $6,600 Meal plan: $5,400
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	100.0% Average amount $30,548
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	57.0% Average amount $5,466
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	11.0% Average amount $13,464

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	1,504 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	13.4%
International students	8.7%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,816	1,107
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Texas California Illinois New Mexico Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science Physical Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	73.5%
Dropout rate	2.3%	6.1%
Transferred out	5.8%	20.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,975 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $65,420 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,721 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $43,894 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,033 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,194 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,091 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,504 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,962 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Bates College

Pitzer College