Hamilton College vs Principia College

Hamilton College and Principia College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Hamilton, a private liberal arts college in Clinton, New York, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 13%, while Principia, a private Christian college in Elsah, Illinois, maintains a more open admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 90%. Hamilton's student body is predominantly white (69%) and female (56%), while Principia's student body is more diverse, with a significant population of international students (15%) and a balanced gender ratio. Both colleges offer a range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Hamilton including Economics, Government, and English, and popular majors at Principia including Business Administration, Elementary Education, and Psychology. With graduation rates of 93% and 68% respectively, Hamilton and Principia provide their students with distinct pathways to success. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into
Hamilton College logo

Hamilton College

Principia College logo

Principia College

Overview

Location Clinton, New York Elsah, Illinois
Campus setting Suburb: Midsize Rural: Fringe
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 94.0% 81.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 14.1% 84.1%
Application fees $60
SAT range 1410 - 1540 1028 - 1193
ACT range 33 - 35 21 - 28
Students submitting SAT score 32.0% 30.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 13.0%
Total number of applicants 9,380 138
Total number of admissions given out 1,320 116
Admitted students who chose to enroll 533 79
Yield rate 40.4% 68.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,700 $42,820
Average net price $26,803 $19,816
Tuition $59,380 $29,970
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,320

Meal plan: $6,910
Room/dormitory: $5,810

Meal plan: $6,460
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

55.0%
Average amount $47,867
94.0%
Average amount $25,174
Students receiving federal student loan 35.0%
Average amount $4,331
0.0%
Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $25,195
94.0%
Average amount $2,016

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,055
Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
321
Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students N/A N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 92.7%
International students 6.8% 24.3%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Midsize Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity 2,057 585
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Physical Science
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 5:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.5% 85.9%
Dropout rate 0.8% 14.1%
Transferred out 6.8% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
N/A

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