Macalester College vs Duke University

Macalester College and Duke University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, a liberal arts college nestled in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on global education, with nearly half of its students studying abroad. Duke, a renowned research university in Durham, North Carolina, is known for its rigorous academics, world-class faculty, and vibrant campus life. While both institutions excel in providing a top-notch education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Duke University	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Large	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	98.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	31.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	$40
SAT range	1468 - 1558	1340 - 1515
ACT range	33 - 35	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	601
Yield rate	59.6%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,860	$76,357
Average net price	$27,297	$30,939
Tuition	$58,085	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	21.4%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,718	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	89.7%
Dropout rate	4.0%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348	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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