Chatham University vs Lafayette College

Chatham University and Lafayette College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Chatham, a private university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known for its strong liberal arts and professional programs, while Lafayette, a private college situated in Easton, Pennsylvania, excels in engineering, science, and the humanities. With acceptance rates of 75% and 34%, respectively, these institutions cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. Chatham's student body is predominantly female (78%), while Lafayette's is more evenly distributed (49% male, 51% female). Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Chatham University	Lafayette College
Overview
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Easton, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	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	79.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.4%	40.7%
Application fees		$65
SAT range	N/A	1300 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		13.0%
Total number of applicants	3,006	8,262
Total number of admissions given out	2,206	3,366
Admitted students who chose to enroll	365	782
Yield rate	16.5%	23.2%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$57,603	$75,934
Average net price	$27,225	$38,754
Tuition	$39,443	$55,874
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,018 Meal plan: $6,208	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $27,300	61.0% Average amount $34,668
Students receiving federal student loan	95.0% Average amount $5,500	26.0% Average amount $4,491
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $17,604	7.0% Average amount $23,831

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,456 Men 26.3% Women 73.7%	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
Graduate students	983 Men 20.7% Women 79.3%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	30.6%	82.6%
International students	3.0%	7.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	754	2,510
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Ohio New York Maryland New Jersey	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Business English Language and Literature	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.9%	87.9%
Dropout rate	10.9%	2.5%
Transferred out	24.3%	9.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,476 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,446 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,610 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $102,033 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,724 Year 2: $71,930 Year 3: $75,371 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,779 Year 2: $67,180 Year 3: $71,471 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,023 Year 2: $57,110 Year 3: $63,667 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $61,960 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,176 Year 2: $37,720 Year 3: $42,265 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $29,438 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $31,786 International Agriculture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Interior Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: N/A	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201

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