College of the Atlantic vs Carleton College

College of the Atlantic and Carleton College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. College of the Atlantic, nestled in Bar Harbor, Maine, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Carleton College, located in Northfield, Minnesota, maintains a highly selective 22% acceptance rate. College of the Atlantic's focus on environmental studies and experiential learning attracts students passionate about sustainability, while Carleton College's liberal arts curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and interdisciplinary exploration. Both institutions foster close-knit communities, with College of the Atlantic's student body comprising 350 undergraduates and Carleton College's student body consisting of 2,100 undergraduates. Delve into the comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	College of the Atlantic
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Bar Harbor, Maine
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	61.1%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	31 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	525
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	321
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	93
Yield rate	40.0%	29.0%
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	$50,442
Average net price	$31,718	$19,142
Tuition	$59,850	$42,993
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $6,210 Meal plan: $3,537
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	98.0% Average amount $34,744
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	64.0% Average amount $4,759
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	6.0% Average amount $16,806

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	374 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%
Graduate students	N/A	2 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	23.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,854	235
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	66.7%
Dropout rate	8.3%	32.1%
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	Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,916 Year 2: $16,920 Year 3: $24,486

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College of the Atlantic vs Carleton College

Carleton College

College of the Atlantic

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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