Illinois College vs Macalester College

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either Illinois College or Macalester College, two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Illinois College, nestled in the heart of the Midwest, boasts a welcoming community and a strong liberal arts tradition. Macalester College, on the other hand, thrives in the vibrant city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, emphasizing global engagement and social responsibility. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, embarking on a journey toward a fulfilling and transformative educational experience.

	Illinois College	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Jacksonville, Illinois	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
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	76.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.8%	31.3%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	950 - 1150	1340 - 1515
ACT range	18 - 24	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	32.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	3,522	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,633	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	601
Yield rate	9.5%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,742	$76,357
Average net price	$18,914	$30,939
Tuition	$34,752	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,988 Meal plan: $4,946	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,845	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	74.0% Average amount $5,294	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $10,848	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,097 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	20.2%	N/A
International students	4.2%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	963	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Georgia Alabama Indiana	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Health Professions Social Sciences English Language and Literature	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.0%	89.7%
Dropout rate	36.0%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,712 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $47,790 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,043 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,048 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $39,233 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,429 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $35,396 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,386 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,515 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,718 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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