Cedar Crest College vs Swarthmore

Cedar Crest College and Swarthmore College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Cedar Crest, a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Swarthmore, a highly selective liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, has a competitive 11% acceptance rate. Cedar Crest's popular majors include nursing, business, and education, while Swarthmore's strengths lie in engineering, social sciences, and humanities. Cedar Crest's student body is predominantly female (78%), while Swarthmore's is more evenly balanced (49% female, 51% male). Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Cedar Crest at 68% and Swarthmore at 94%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Cedar Crest College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Allentown, Pennsylvania	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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
Students retention rate	75.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.8%	7.8%
Application fees	$50	$60
SAT range	1020 - 1210	1430 - 1560
ACT range	20 - 29	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	33.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	4.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	1,233	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	848	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	168	454
Yield rate	19.8%	44.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$58,610	$75,793
Average net price	$23,501	$19,733
Tuition	$41,991	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,750 Meal plan: $6,769	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $30,039	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	84.0% Average amount $5,564	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	22.0% Average amount $13,506	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,053 Men 6.2% Women 93.8%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	387 Men 14.2% Women 85.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	27.4%	89.9%
International students	3.3%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	552	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland Delaware New York	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences Public Administration and Social Service	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	63.7%	94.1%
Dropout rate	22.4%	5.7%
Transferred out	13.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,377 Year 2: $64,406 Year 3: $65,730 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,752 Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $50,703 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $49,958 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $49,457 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $40,802 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $28,616 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $97,897 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $113,966 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,029 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $88,391 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,119 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,841 Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $42,944 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $36,220 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,963 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,964 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A

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