Franklin and Marshall College (FandM) vs Bates College

Franklin and Marshall College and Bates College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Franklin and Marshall, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (59%) compared to Bates' 15%. With a larger student body, Franklin and Marshall offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like Business, Economics, and Psychology. Bates, situated in Lewiston, Maine, excels in the sciences, with popular majors including Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science. Both colleges foster diverse student bodies, with Bates having a slightly higher percentage of international students. While Franklin and Marshall boasts a higher graduation rate (89%), Bates is known for its strong alumni network and career support. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Franklin and Marshall College
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	37.5%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	7,319	7,720
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	2,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	510
Yield rate	43.6%	17.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$77,870	$80,618
Average net price	$26,231	$26,316
Tuition	$59,062	$63,216
Room & board	$16,658	Room/dormitory: $8,722 Meal plan: $6,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	62.0% Average amount $50,026
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	53.0% Average amount $4,947
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	7.0% Average amount $16,505

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,145 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,816	2,272
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Social Sciences Physical Science Ethnic Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	82.8%
Dropout rate	2.3%	2.0%
Transferred out	5.8%	13.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,518 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $67,095 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,376 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,284 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,518 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,220 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $50,175 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,598 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $49,088 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,421 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $48,325 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $44,196 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,487 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $42,722 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 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.

Bates College

Pitzer College