Dickinson College vs Carleton College

Dickinson College and Carleton College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Dickinson, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, boasts a slightly larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Carleton, nestled in Northfield, Minnesota. While Dickinson excels in popular majors like economics, political science, and history, Carleton is known for its strengths in natural sciences, particularly biology and chemistry. Both colleges foster diverse student communities, with Carleton having a slightly higher percentage of international students. Dickinson's graduation rate slightly edges out Carleton's, but both institutions are committed to providing their students with the tools and support they need to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Carleton College logo

Carleton College

Dickinson College logo

Dickinson College

Overview

Location Northfield, Minnesota Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Campus setting Town: Distant City: Small
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% 92.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 17.5% 48.1%
Application fees $65
SAT range 1408 - 1550 N/A
ACT range 31 - 35 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 35.0%
Students submitting ACT score 34.0%
Total number of applicants 7,915 6,366
Total number of admissions given out 1,389 3,061
Admitted students who chose to enroll 555 677
Yield rate 40.0% 22.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,315 $77,300
Average net price $31,718 $20,913
Tuition $59,850 $58,158
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,115

Meal plan: $7,260
Room/dormitory: $7,866

Meal plan: $7,386
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $45,715
92.0%
Average amount $39,555
Students receiving federal student loan 45.0%
Average amount $3,914
41.0%
Average amount $3,696
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $14,334
16.0%
Average amount $9,232

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,044
Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
2,180
Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students N/A 6
Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 81.5% N/A
International students 10.2% 12.3%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant City: Small
Dormitory capacity 1,854 2,118
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
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.4% 82.4%
Dropout rate 8.3% 17.6%
Transferred out N/A N/A
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
International Business (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,304
  • Year 2: $51,750
  • Year 3: $73,244
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,684
  • Year 2: $50,320
  • Year 3: $56,449
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $48,823
  • Year 3: $55,723
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $49,550
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,461
  • Year 2: $30,409
  • Year 3: $48,836
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,322
  • Year 2: $40,737
  • Year 3: $43,711
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $43,177
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,473
  • Year 2: $28,598
  • Year 3: $42,465
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $40,634
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,617
  • Year 2: $28,598
  • Year 3: $38,644

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