Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Earlham College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Earlham College stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body of over 1,200 undergraduates. In contrast, Earlham College, a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana, maintains a more selective admissions process with a 65% acceptance rate, fostering a close-knit community of approximately 1,100 students. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence and personalized attention, they differ in their popular majors, with MCLA emphasizing programs in business, education, and social sciences, and Earlham excelling in fields such as environmental studies, peace and global studies, and international studies. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Earlham College	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Richmond, Indiana	North Adams, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	91.0%
Application fees	$35	$50
SAT range	1100 - 1340	N/A
ACT range	26 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%
Total number of applicants	1,659	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	1,146	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	171	167
Yield rate	14.9%	13.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$60,465	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$25,360	$14,902
Tuition	$48,523	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,261 Meal plan: $5,593	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,019	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $4,899	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $18,117	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	658 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	78 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	18.1%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,023	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.6%	58.4%
Dropout rate	27.4%	41.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,216 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,243 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $15,922 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,096 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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