Davidson College vs Wesleyan University

Davidson College and Wesleyan University, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Davidson, located in North Carolina, boasts a lower acceptance rate (16%) compared to Wesleyan's (22%). Davidson's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of around 1,800 students, while Wesleyan's is approximately 1,600. Both institutions offer a diverse range of majors, with popular choices at Davidson including Economics, Biology, and Political Science, and at Wesleyan including Psychology, Economics, and Government. Davidson's graduation rate is slightly higher at 89%, compared to Wesleyan's 87%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and similarities between these two exceptional institutions, and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Davidson College	Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Davidson, North Carolina	Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.8%	19.4%
Application fees	$50	$55
SAT range	N/A	1300 - 1510
ACT range	N/A	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		51.0%
Students submitting ACT score		27.0%
Total number of applicants	6,434	13,067
Total number of admissions given out	1,145	2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	547	910
Yield rate	47.8%	35.8%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$73,200	$82,245
Average net price	$25,794	$20,535
Tuition	$54,460	$61,449
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,700 Meal plan: $7,525	$17,531
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $47,889	40.0% Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,095	18.0% Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $33,219	2.0% Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,973 Men 47.2% Women 52.8%	3,385 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	196 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.8%	90.3%
International students	8.2%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,830	3,063
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia Texas New Jersey Florida	New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Psychology Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies	Social Sciences Psychology Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.6%	91.0%
Dropout rate	10.0%	3.6%
Transferred out	N/A	5.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $60,797 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,388 Political Science and Government (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,752 Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $53,747 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $41,099 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,292 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A History (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,075 Year 3: N/A	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,847 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $36,334 Year 3: $45,541

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Davidson College vs Wesleyan University

Davidson College

Wesleyan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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