Grinnell College vs Claremont McKenna College

Grinnell College and Claremont McKenna College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, nestled in the heart of Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on interdisciplinary learning, reflected in its open curriculum and strong humanities and social sciences programs. Claremont McKenna, situated in the vibrant city of Claremont, California, emphasizes economics and government, preparing students for careers in business, law, and public service. With Grinnell's acceptance rate hovering around 15% and Claremont McKenna's at 13%, both colleges are highly selective. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Claremont McKenna College	Grinnell College
Overview
Location	Claremont, California	Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	98.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	11.2%	10.5%
Application fees	$70
SAT range	1420 - 1530	1370 - 1530
ACT range	32 - 35	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	25.0%	33.0%
Total number of applicants	5,632	10,513
Total number of admissions given out	633	1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll	358	471
Yield rate	56.6%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,347	$76,098
Average net price	$21,663	$37,423
Tuition	$57,876	$58,156
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,626 Meal plan: $8,280	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)	65.0% Average amount $33,141	100.0% Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $3,535	36.0% Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans	22.0% Average amount $7,870	12.0% Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,416 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	6 Men 66.7% Women 33.3%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	52.1%	91.5%
International students	15.5%	19.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,354	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New York Washington Texas Colorado	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Psychology Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.7%	86.9%
Dropout rate	7.3%	12.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $95,566 Year 2: $87,754 Year 3: $91,488 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,025 Year 3: N/A Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $100,075 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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Claremont McKenna College

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