Macalester College vs Wheaton College

Macalester College and Wheaton College, two 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 Wheaton, nestled in Norton, Massachusetts, maintains a predominantly domestic student population. Macalester's acceptance rate stands at 29%, compared to Wheaton's 34%, indicating a slightly more competitive admissions process at Macalester. In terms of academic offerings, Macalester excels in the social sciences and humanities, while Wheaton's strengths lie in the natural sciences and mathematics. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Macalester's reaching 84% and Wheaton's at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Wheaton College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Wheaton, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	89.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	86.3%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1340 - 1515	1250 - 1430
ACT range	29 - 33	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	25.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	1,993
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	1,719
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	546
Yield rate	21.3%	31.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$76,357	$54,700
Average net price	$30,939	$28,319
Tuition	$60,288	$40,570
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	Room/dormitory: $6,640 Meal plan: $4,660
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	91.0% Average amount $23,469
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	52.0% Average amount $5,169
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	5.0% Average amount $15,404

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	2,341 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%
Graduate students	N/A	706 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	13.5%	5.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,332	2,153
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Psychology Theology Education Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	87.6%
Dropout rate	10.0%	3.1%
Transferred out	N/A	9.1%
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	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,492 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,559 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,982 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $48,761 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,694 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $48,539 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,613 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $41,661 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,251 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $41,339 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,767 Year 2: $39,049 Year 3: $38,775 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,864 Year 3: $36,928 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,471 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $34,682 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,825 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $32,867 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,289

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