Grinnell College vs Hamilton College

Grinnell College and Hamilton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, located in the heart of Iowa, boasts a lower acceptance rate (17%) compared to Hamilton's (22%). While Grinnell's student body is slightly larger, both colleges share a commitment to small class sizes, fostering close interactions between students and professors. Hamilton, situated in Clinton, New York, excels in STEM fields, with popular majors including Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science. Grinnell, on the other hand, is known for its strengths in the Social Sciences, with majors like Economics, Political Science, and Sociology being highly sought after. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these colleges' differences in graduation rates, student demographics, and other key aspects, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Grinnell College	Hamilton College
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Clinton, New York
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	14.1%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1410 - 1540
ACT range	30 - 34	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	9,380
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	1,320
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	533
Yield rate	42.5%	40.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,098	$76,700
Average net price	$37,423	$26,803
Tuition	$58,156	$59,380
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	55.0% Average amount $47,867
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	35.0% Average amount $4,331
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	4.0% Average amount $25,195

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	19.4%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,450	2,057
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	91.5%
Dropout rate	12.9%	0.8%
Transferred out	N/A	6.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A

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