Macalester College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Macalester College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique path to academic excellence. Macalester, a liberal arts college nestled in the vibrant city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, prides itself on its intimate learning environment and diverse student body. MIT, a world-renowned research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is celebrated for its rigorous academics, cutting-edge research, and strong emphasis on science and technology. While both institutions share a commitment to academic rigor and student success, they differ significantly in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
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	96.0%	99.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	4.1%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1340 - 1515	N/A
ACT range	29 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	33,240
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	1,365
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	1,177
Yield rate	21.3%	86.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,357	$58,920
Average net price	$30,939	$30,958
Tuition	$60,288	$55,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	100.0% Average amount $32,562
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	6.0% Average amount $5,112
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	1.0% Average amount $17,891

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%
Graduate students	N/A	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	13.5%	29.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,332	6,280
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	3:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	96.2%
Dropout rate	10.0%	3.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672

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Macalester College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Macalester College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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