Lafayette College vs United States Military Academy

Lafayette College and United States Military Academy, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Lafayette, a private liberal arts college, boasts a 33% acceptance rate, while West Point, a federal military academy, maintains a highly selective 10% acceptance rate. Lafayette's student body is diverse, with 48% female and 52% male students, while West Point's student body is predominantly male (73%) and highly disciplined due to its military focus. Both institutions excel in academics, with Lafayette offering popular majors in engineering, business, and the humanities, and West Point specializing in engineering, social sciences, and military science. While Lafayette graduates enjoy a 92% placement rate within six months of graduation, West Point graduates are guaranteed a career as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and determine which institution aligns best with your academic and career aspirations.

	Lafayette College	United States Military Academy
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	West Point, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	10.7%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1200 - 1440
ACT range	30 - 33	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	78.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	62.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	13,955
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	1,488
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	1,201
Yield rate	23.2%	80.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$75,934
Average net price	$38,754
Tuition	$55,874
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $34,668
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	4,594 Men 76.3% Women 23.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	N/A
Out-of-state students	82.6%	93.8%
International students	7.8%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,510	4,700
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	Texas California New York Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Social Sciences Business Psychology Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	EXEMPT

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	83.6%
Dropout rate	2.5%	12.9%
Transferred out	9.6%	3.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	N/A

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Lafayette College vs United States Military Academy

Lafayette College

United States Military Academy

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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