Macalester College vs Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU)

Macalester College and Illinois Wesleyan University, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body with a strong international presence, while Illinois Wesleyan, nestled in Bloomington, Illinois, prides itself on its close-knit community and personalized attention. With acceptance rates of 34% and 68%, respectively, these colleges attract students with varying academic backgrounds. Macalester's popular majors include political science, economics, and environmental studies, while Illinois Wesleyan excels in nursing, biology, and business. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to determine which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Illinois Wesleyan University	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Bloomington, Illinois	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	45.2%	31.3%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	1110 - 1310	1340 - 1515
ACT range	24 - 29	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	33.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	4,543	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,055	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	432	601
Yield rate	21.0%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$67,124	$76,357
Average net price	$30,610	$30,939
Tuition	$52,308	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,584 Meal plan: $4,528	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)	100.0% Average amount $34,810	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	68.0% Average amount $5,692	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	35.0% Average amount $6,781	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,653 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.4%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,308	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.1%	89.7%
Dropout rate	18.7%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,305 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $77,743 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,838 Year 2: $62,792 Year 3: $73,001 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,460 Year 2: $62,775 Year 3: $69,764 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,302 Year 2: $50,356 Year 3: $56,336 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $46,139 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,272 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $39,988 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,075 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $30,321 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A	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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Macalester College vs Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU)

Illinois Wesleyan University

Macalester College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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