Grinnell College vs Buena Vista University

Grinnell College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, a highly selective liberal arts college, boasts an acceptance rate of 22%, while Buena Vista, a private university, welcomes a broader range of students with an acceptance rate of 68%. Grinnell's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population compared to Buena Vista's 2%. In terms of academics, Grinnell excels in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, while Buena Vista offers a wider range of programs, including business, education, and nursing. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Grinnell's at 84% and Buena Vista's at 63%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Grinnell College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	10.5%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	1370 - 1530
ACT range	18 - 25	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	33.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	10,513
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	471
Yield rate	20.5%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$76,098
Average net price	$18,532	$37,423
Tuition	$37,518	$58,156
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	36.0% Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	12.0% Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	91.5%
International students	0.5%	19.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	836	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	86.9%
Dropout rate	36.8%	12.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	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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