Macalester College vs Denison University

Macalester College and Denison University, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body with a strong international presence, while Denison, nestled in Granville, Ohio, is known for its beautiful campus and vibrant Greek life. With acceptance rates of 33% and 29%, respectively, both colleges are selective in their admissions process. Macalester's popular majors include political science, economics, and environmental studies, while Denison students often pursue majors in biology, psychology, and communication. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus culture, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Denison University	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Granville, Ohio	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
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	87.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	28.3%	31.3%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	1230 - 1430	1340 - 1515
ACT range	28 - 32	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	9,513	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,689	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	654	601
Yield rate	24.3%	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	$73,900	$76,357
Average net price	$38,833	$30,939
Tuition	$57,500	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,700 Meal plan: $6,560	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)	96.0% Average amount $34,310	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,126	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $15,550	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,321 Men 47.8% Women 52.2%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	74.8%	N/A
International students	16.8%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,479	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Illinois Mississippi Pennsylvania New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Business Computer and Information Science Visual & Performing Arts	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	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.3%	89.7%
Dropout rate	4.1%	10.0%
Transferred out	14.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,668 Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $60,027 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $45,885 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,270 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $45,530 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,133 Year 2: $36,134 Year 3: $45,058 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,127 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,288 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $39,071 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,840 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,362 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $35,544 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,013 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $33,940 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,424 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $33,345	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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