Macalester College vs Clark University

Macalester College and Clark University, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Clark's 53% in Worcester, Massachusetts. Macalester's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 2,000 compared to Clark's 2,300. While both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, Macalester is known for its strengths in the social sciences and humanities, while Clark excels in the sciences and engineering. Macalester's graduation rate stands at 84%, while Clark's is slightly higher at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Clark University	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	87.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	48.0%	31.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $100	$40
SAT range	1218 - 1403	1340 - 1515
ACT range	27 - 30	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	8,151	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	3,915	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	505	601
Yield rate	12.9%	21.3%
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	$62,302	$76,357
Average net price	$31,565	$30,939
Tuition	$49,950	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $4,150	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $27,608	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,282	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $16,271	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,302 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	1,048 Men 49.3% Women 50.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	23.0%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,633	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Connecticut Maine New Jersey	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Mathematics and Statistics Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	79.0%	89.7%
Dropout rate	6.8%	10.0%
Transferred out	14.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,601 Year 2: $64,328 Year 3: $76,941 Geography and Cartography (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,259 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $68,708 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,937 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,038 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,649 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $50,210 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,148 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $49,665 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,833 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $49,591 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,656 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $47,508 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,412 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $46,715 Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,423 Year 3: $46,559 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $46,250	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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