Bucknell University vs Muhlenberg College

Bucknell University and Muhlenberg College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bucknell, a private research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Muhlenberg's (58%), indicating a more selective admissions process. Bucknell's student body is larger, with an undergraduate population of over 3,500 compared to Muhlenberg's 2,200, creating different campus dynamics. While both institutions offer a diverse range of majors, Bucknell's strengths lie in engineering, business, and the liberal arts, while Muhlenberg excels in the social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bucknell University	Muhlenberg College
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Allentown, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	67.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	$50
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1200 - 1370
ACT range	29 - 33	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	4,118
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	2,790
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	450
Yield rate	26.4%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$77,740	$71,880
Average net price	$38,170	$30,920
Tuition	$59,474	$55,095
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	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)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	97.0% Average amount $37,483
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	62.0% Average amount $5,381
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	7.0% Average amount $24,182

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,074 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	21 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	N/A
International students	5.3%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,394	1,922
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Business Communication and Journalism Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	82.0%
Dropout rate	0.6%	17.9%
Transferred out	11.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,290 Year 2: $66,147 Year 3: $82,360 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,437 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,333 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,748 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,343 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $69,149 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,231 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $68,732 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $66,842 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,041 Year 2: $55,102 Year 3: $63,698 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,358 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $60,608 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,507 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,352 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,905 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $55,173	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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