Carleton College vs Stanford

Carleton College and Stanford University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, a small liberal arts college in Minnesota, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while Stanford, a renowned research university in California, is known for its academic rigor and world-class faculty. With acceptance rates of 13.3% and 4.7%, respectively, both schools are highly selective. Carleton's popular majors include economics, biology, and political science, while Stanford students commonly pursue degrees in computer science, engineering, and economics. Carleton's student body is predominantly white and affluent, while Stanford's is more diverse, with a significant international presence. Carleton's graduation rate is an impressive 94%, while Stanford's is slightly lower at 89%. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two esteemed institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Stanford University
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Stanford, California
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	3.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $125
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1470 - 1570
ACT range	31 - 35	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	55,471
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	1,757
Yield rate	40.0%	80.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not 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	$78,315	$78,898
Average net price	$31,718	$14,402
Tuition	$59,850	$55,473
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $11,166 Meal plan: $6,694
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	61.0% Average amount $56,211
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	5.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	1.0% Average amount $17,186

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	7,645 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	N/A	10,035 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	81.5%	58.5%
International students	10.2%	24.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,854	14,621
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 Texas Washington New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	95.5%
Dropout rate	8.3%	1.7%
Transferred out	N/A	0.6%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $151,574 Year 2: $170,457 Year 3: $210,837 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $159,729 Year 2: $168,942 Year 3: $203,193 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $164,734 Year 2: $163,337 Year 3: $187,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $137,457 Year 2: $150,874 Year 3: $173,548 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $136,126 Year 2: $136,499 Year 3: $165,375 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,556 Year 2: $135,709 Year 3: $157,500 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,354 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $139,234 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,326 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,185 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,457 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $107,477 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,475 Year 2: $85,391 Year 3: $104,592

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Carleton College vs Stanford

Carleton College

Stanford University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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