Cornell College vs Bucknell University

Cornell College and Bucknell University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Cornell College, a liberal arts college nestled in Mount Vernon, Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and experiential learning. Bucknell University, situated in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is a mid-sized research university known for its rigorous academics, strong alumni network, and commitment to sustainability. While both institutions share a dedication to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bucknell University	Cornell College
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Mount Vernon, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	81.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	$30
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1155 - 1405
ACT range	29 - 33	24 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	58.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	2,836
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	2,300
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	366
Yield rate	26.4%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,740	$62,735
Average net price	$38,170	$22,667
Tuition	$59,474	$47,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $4,868 Meal plan: $5,688
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	100.0% Average amount $37,745
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	57.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	16.0% Average amount $9,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,046 Men 52.5% Women 47.5%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	9 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	N/A
International students	5.3%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	3,394	1,060
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Business Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	63.8%
Dropout rate	0.6%	10.9%
Transferred out	11.3%	25.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,290 Year 2: $66,147 Year 3: $82,360 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,437 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,333 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,748 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,343 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $69,149 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,231 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $68,732 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $66,842 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,041 Year 2: $55,102 Year 3: $63,698 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,358 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $60,608 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,507 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,352 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,905 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $55,173	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,721 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $40,862 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,040 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $38,658 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,951 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: N/A Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,103 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,478 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Bucknell University

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