Bucknell University vs Wheaton College

Bucknell University and Wheaton College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bucknell, a private research university in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Wheaton's (36%), a private Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois. Bucknell's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population, while Wheaton's student body is predominantly White (73%). Both institutions excel in academics, with Bucknell's popular majors including engineering, business, and psychology, and Wheaton's strengths lying in biblical and theological studies, psychology, and business. While Bucknell's graduation rate stands at 89%, Wheaton's is slightly higher at 91%. 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.

	Bucknell University	Wheaton College
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Wheaton, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	86.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1250 - 1430
ACT range	29 - 33	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	25.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	1,993
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	1,719
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	546
Yield rate	26.4%	31.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,740	$54,700
Average net price	$38,170	$28,319
Tuition	$59,474	$40,570
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $6,640 Meal plan: $4,660
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	91.0% Average amount $23,469
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	52.0% Average amount $5,169
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	5.0% Average amount $15,404

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,341 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	706 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	N/A
International students	5.3%	5.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,394	2,153
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	Psychology Theology Education Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	87.6%
Dropout rate	0.6%	3.1%
Transferred out	11.3%	9.1%
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	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,492 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,559 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,982 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $48,761 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,694 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $48,539 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,613 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $41,661 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,251 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $41,339 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,767 Year 2: $39,049 Year 3: $38,775 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,864 Year 3: $36,928 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,471 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $34,682 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,825 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $32,867 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,289

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