Grinnell College vs Bard College

Nestled in the heart of Iowa, Grinnell College, and Bard College, a beacon of liberal arts education in New York, stand as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence and fostering intellectual growth, they diverge in several key aspects. Grinnell, with its rigorous curriculum and emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to Bard. Bard, on the other hand, prides itself on its innovative approach to learning, offering a wide range of majors and minors, including distinctive programs in the arts and environmental studies. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into the nuances that set these two esteemed colleges apart and discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bard College	Grinnell College
Overview
Location	Annandale-On-Hudson, New York	Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
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
Students retention rate	87.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.9%	10.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1370 - 1530
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		33.0%
Total number of applicants	5,167	10,513
Total number of admissions given out	3,096	1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll	473	471
Yield rate	15.3%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$72,868	$76,098
Average net price	$24,318	$37,423
Tuition	$57,498	$58,156
Room & board	$16,760	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $50,598	100.0% Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,101	36.0% Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $16,225	12.0% Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,171 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	420 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	91.5%
International students	14.7%	19.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,400	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Natural Resources and Conservation	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	86.9%
Dropout rate	9.9%	12.9%
Transferred out	18.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,261 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,624 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,518 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,944 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,353 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,051 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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