Lafayette College vs Williams College

Lafayette College and Williams College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lafayette, situated in Easton, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (34%) compared to Williams' highly selective admissions (13%). While Williams excels in the humanities and social sciences, Lafayette offers a broader range of majors, including engineering and business. Lafayette's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a larger population of students receiving financial aid. In terms of outcomes, Williams boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (95% vs. 93%) and a stronger alumni network. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lafayette College	Williams College
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	8.8%
Application fees	$65	$65
SAT range	1300 - 1460	N/A
ACT range	30 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	574
Yield rate	23.2%	52.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,934	$78,060
Average net price	$38,754	$14,487
Tuition	$55,874	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	N/A	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	82.6%	N/A
International students	7.8%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,510	2,045
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	93.8%
Dropout rate	2.5%	3.1%
Transferred out	9.6%	1.6%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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Lafayette College vs Williams College

Lafayette College

Williams College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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