Cornell College vs Carleton College

Cornell College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Cornell, nestled in Mount Vernon, Iowa, boasts a 98% acceptance rate, while Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, is more selective with a 28% acceptance rate. Cornell's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,200 compared to Carleton's 2,100. Both colleges excel in academics, with popular majors including economics, biology, and English. However, Cornell has a slightly higher graduation rate of 79% compared to Carleton's 76%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive in to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Cornell College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	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	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	81.1%
Application fees		$30
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1155 - 1405
ACT range	31 - 35	24 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	58.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,836
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,300
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	366
Yield rate	40.0%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$78,315	$62,735
Average net price	$31,718	$22,667
Tuition	$59,850	$47,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $4,868 Meal plan: $5,688
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	100.0% Average amount $37,745
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	57.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	16.0% Average amount $9,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,046 Men 52.5% Women 47.5%
Graduate students	N/A	9 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,854	1,060
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	Business Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	63.8%
Dropout rate	8.3%	10.9%
Transferred out	N/A	25.4%
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	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Carleton College

Claremont McKenna College