Grinnell College vs Pitzer College

Grinnell College and Pitzer College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, located in rural Iowa, boasts a lower acceptance rate (17%) and a smaller student body (1,700 undergraduates) compared to Pitzer's 30% acceptance rate and 1,000-student undergraduate population in Claremont, California. While Grinnell students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences, Pitzer students often gravitate towards interdisciplinary programs and environmental studies. Grinnell's 88% graduation rate slightly edges out Pitzer's 86%, indicating both colleges' commitment to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to uncover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Grinnell College	Pitzer College
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Claremont, California
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%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	18.3%
Application fees		$70
SAT range	1370 - 1530	N/A
ACT range	30 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	3,676
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	673
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	357
Yield rate	42.5%	53.0%
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	$74,950
Average net price	$37,423	$19,153
Tuition	$58,156	$57,686
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $11,282 Meal plan: $7,898
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	42.0% Average amount $39,399
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	24.0% Average amount $3,323
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	1.0% Average amount $14,063

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	1,168 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	19.4%	7.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,450	972
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
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	Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	88.4%
Dropout rate	12.9%	11.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,150 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,378 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Grinnell College vs Pitzer College

Grinnell College

Pitzer College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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