College of the Atlantic vs Sterling College

College of the Atlantic and Sterling College, both renowned for their unique educational approaches and commitment to sustainability, offer prospective students distinct experiences. College of the Atlantic, located in Bar Harbor, Maine, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, maintains a more open admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 80%. College of the Atlantic's student body is predominantly female (65%), while Sterling College has a more balanced gender ratio (52% female, 48% male). Both institutions offer a range of undergraduate programs, with College of the Atlantic focusing on environmental studies, human ecology, and marine biology, and Sterling College specializing in environmental science, sustainable agriculture, and outdoor education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	College of the Atlantic	Sterling College
Overview
Location	Bar Harbor, Maine	Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Rural: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	61.1%	100.0%
Application fees		$35
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	525	41
Total number of admissions given out	321	41
Admitted students who chose to enroll	93	17
Yield rate	29.0%	41.5%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$50,442	$52,800
Average net price	$19,142	$15,350
Tuition	$42,993	$39,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,210 Meal plan: $3,537	Room/dormitory: $5,000 Meal plan: $5,400
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $34,744	100.0% Average amount $36,950
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $4,759	60.0% Average amount $5,246
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $16,806	7.0% Average amount $7,500

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	374 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%	126 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	2 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	23.1%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Rural: Remote
Dormitory capacity	235	139
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Multidisciplinary Studies	Agriculture Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.7%	36.0%
Dropout rate	32.1%	48.0%
Transferred out	N/A	12.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,916 Year 2: $16,920 Year 3: $24,486	N/A