Colgate University vs St Olaf College

Colgate University and St Olaf College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Colgate, situated in Hamilton, New York, boasts a lower acceptance rate (24%) compared to St Olaf's 42% in Northfield, Minnesota. While Colgate's student body is slightly larger, both colleges share a vibrant residential campus culture. St Olaf distinguishes itself with its strong music program, while Colgate emphasizes interdisciplinary studies. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details on acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colgate University	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Hamilton, New York	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.2%	47.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1350 - 1500	1240 - 1430
ACT range	32 - 34	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	17,540	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	3,015	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	887	755
Yield rate	29.4%	24.5%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,160	$66,570
Average net price	$24,500	$27,729
Tuition	$61,594	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,496 Meal plan: $8,028	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	41.0% Average amount $53,718	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,253	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $34,492	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,164 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	12 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	75.2%	N/A
International students	8.8%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,972	2,703
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Connecticut California Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	90.3%	85.0%
Dropout rate	2.8%	3.9%
Transferred out	6.7%	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,196 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $86,742 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $67,401 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,813 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $60,399 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,179 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $57,947 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,895 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,701 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $50,739 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,610 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $43,419 Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,641 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $40,037 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,181 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $21,648 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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