Grinnell College vs Lafayette College

Grinnell College and Lafayette College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, nestled in the heart of Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on interdisciplinary learning and social responsibility. Lafayette, situated in historic Easton, Pennsylvania, emphasizes experiential education and global engagement. With Grinnell's acceptance rate hovering around 18% and Lafayette's at 34%, both colleges seek students who are intellectually curious and eager to make a difference. While Grinnell's student body is slightly more diverse, both colleges foster inclusive environments where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about their popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors that set these two exceptional institutions apart.

	Grinnell College	Lafayette College
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Easton, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
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%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	40.7%
Application fees		$65
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1300 - 1460
ACT range	30 - 34	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	8,262
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	3,366
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	782
Yield rate	42.5%	23.2%
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	$76,098	$75,934
Average net price	$37,423	$38,754
Tuition	$58,156	$55,874
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	61.0% Average amount $34,668
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	26.0% Average amount $4,491
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	7.0% Average amount $23,831

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	82.6%
International students	19.4%	7.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,450	2,510
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	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	87.9%
Dropout rate	12.9%	2.5%
Transferred out	N/A	9.6%
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	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201

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