Calvin University vs Westmont College

Calvin University and Westmont College, both esteemed Christian liberal arts institutions, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Calvin, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Westmont's selective admissions (36%). While Calvin's student body is predominantly White (72%), Westmont's student population is more diverse, with 48% White, 24% Asian, and 15% Hispanic students. Both institutions excel in academics, with Calvin's popular majors including Business, Engineering, and Nursing, and Westmont's strengths lying in Biology, Psychology, and Communication. Calvin's four-year graduation rate stands at 79%, while Westmont's is slightly higher at 83%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive into the details and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences

	Calvin University	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Grand Rapids, Michigan	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	79.0%
Application fees	$35
SAT range	1120 - 1340	1160 - 1460
ACT range	24 - 30	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	61.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	24.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	3,986	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	2,992	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	736	333
Yield rate	24.6%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,840	$61,110
Average net price	$27,120	$33,554
Tuition	$37,990	$47,450
Room & board	$10,800	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $24,410	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,987	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $16,620	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,068 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	189 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	31.1%
International students	11.7%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,453	1,207
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Engineering Theology	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.3%	73.4%
Dropout rate	7.6%	26.6%
Transferred out	14.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,594 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $73,154 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,088 Year 2: $65,188 Year 3: $71,772 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,940 Year 2: $57,564 Year 3: $62,400 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,498 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $60,645 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,593 Year 2: $45,980 Year 3: $53,866 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,275 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $51,938 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,034 Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: $44,640 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,528 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,008 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,756 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,976 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,469 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,953	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 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.

Calvin University

John Brown University