Carleton College vs Dartmouth

Carleton College and Dartmouth College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, a small, residential college in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching. Dartmouth, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is an Ivy League university with a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs. With Carleton's acceptance rate hovering around 15% and Dartmouth's at 8%, both institutions are highly selective. While Carleton students predominantly pursue majors in the humanities and social sciences, Dartmouth students have a broader range of options, including engineering and business. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.
Carleton College logo

Carleton College

Dartmouth College logo

Dartmouth College

Overview

Location Northfield, Minnesota Hanover, New Hampshire
Campus setting Town: Distant Town: Remote
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Trimester Quarter
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 17.5% 6.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1408 - 1550 1440 - 1560
ACT range 31 - 35 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 35.0% 47.0%
Students submitting ACT score 34.0% 30.0%
Total number of applicants 7,915 28,356
Total number of admissions given out 1,389 1,750
Admitted students who chose to enroll 555 1,221
Yield rate 40.0% 69.8%
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 Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,315 $81,501
Average net price $31,718 $24,078
Tuition $59,850 $58,953
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,115

Meal plan: $7,260
Room/dormitory: $10,569

Meal plan: $6,792
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $45,715
48.0%
Average amount $56,106
Students receiving federal student loan 45.0%
Average amount $3,914
20.0%
Average amount $5,066
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $14,334
37.0%
Average amount $5,335

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,044
Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
4,556
Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Graduate students N/A 2,205
Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 81.5% 97.3%
International students 10.2% 17.0%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity 1,854 3,733
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas California New York Mississippi New Jersey Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Physical Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 7:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.4% 93.6%
Dropout rate 8.3% 4.9%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,876
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $101,936
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,032
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $66,207
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,526
  • Year 2: $23,034
  • Year 3: $30,071
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,669
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,425
  • Year 2: $22,329
  • Year 3: N/A
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,952
  • Year 2: $37,568
  • Year 3: N/A
Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,227
  • Year 2: $36,141
  • Year 3: N/A
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,625
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Physics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $42,774
  • Year 3: N/A
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,301
  • Year 2: $33,719
  • Year 3: N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $160,724
  • Year 2: $167,295
  • Year 3: $180,970
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,259
  • Year 2: $113,015
  • Year 3: $128,856
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $85,069
  • Year 2: $87,604
  • Year 3: $98,252
Public Health (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $77,715
  • Year 3: $88,684
Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,341
  • Year 2: $78,343
  • Year 3: $81,883
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,277
  • Year 2: $64,990
  • Year 3: $81,813
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $47,302
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $80,946
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,095
  • Year 2: $62,192
  • Year 3: $75,463
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,013
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $71,100
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,996
  • Year 2: $61,728
  • Year 3: $70,914

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