William & Mary (W&M) vs Harvard

When it comes to higher education, William & Mary and Harvard University stand out as two of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. Both offer a world-class education, but there are some key differences between the two schools that prospective students should consider. This side-by-side comparison will delve into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates of these two esteemed universities. Whether you're a high school senior planning your college applications or a transfer student looking for a new academic home, this comprehensive analysis will help you make an informed decision about which school is the best fit for your individual needs and aspirations.

	William & Mary	Harvard University
Overview
Location	Williamsburg, Virginia	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	36.5%	4.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $105
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1480 - 1580
ACT range	31 - 34	33 - 36
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	54.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	31.0%
Total number of applicants	17,475	57,786
Total number of admissions given out	6,386	2,318
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,684	1,951
Yield rate	26.4%	84.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $40,624 Out of state: $63,850	$78,028
Average net price	$18,399	$13,910
Tuition	In state: $17,434 Out of state: $40,089	$51,143
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,490 Meal plan: $5,246	Room/dormitory: $11,705 Meal plan: $7,236
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	44.0% Average amount $21,700	56.0% Average amount $59,840
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $5,132	3.0% Average amount $5,180
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $27,548	2.0% Average amount $8,080

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,543 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	9,579 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students	2,974 Men 42.7% Women 57.3%	21,766 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	35.2%	N/A
International students	6.2%	23.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,755	12,874
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia New Jersey Maryland Pennsylvania New York	New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Education Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Health Professions Social Sciences Education Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.0%	96.7%
Dropout rate	2.1%	2.0%
Transferred out	6.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,208 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $87,886 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $64,972 Year 2: $66,087 Year 3: $81,526 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $85,399 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $80,518 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,897 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $80,071 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,977 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $69,021 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,979 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $57,485 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,630 Year 2: $44,117 Year 3: $51,824 Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,566 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $50,454 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,517 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $48,118 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,414 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,651	Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,193 Year 2: $128,716 Year 3: $240,408 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $184,307 Year 2: $165,340 Year 3: $199,043 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $171,333 Year 2: $171,907 Year 3: $187,553 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $140,072 Year 2: $128,737 Year 3: $163,896 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $151,371 Year 2: $174,023 Year 3: $163,512 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,508 Year 2: $117,916 Year 3: $129,281 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $121,832 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $102,707 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $121,771 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,905 Year 2: $98,670 Year 3: $107,389 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,745 Year 2: $71,486 Year 3: $106,375

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William & Mary (W&M) vs Harvard

William & Mary

Harvard University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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