Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Williams College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Williams College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college, boasts an acceptance rate of 88%, making it more accessible to a wider range of students. Williams, a highly selective private liberal arts college, has an acceptance rate of 13%, indicating its rigorous admissions process. While MCLA's popular majors include Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Psychology, Williams' strengths lie in Economics, English, and Political Science. MCLA's student body is predominantly composed of in-state students, while Williams attracts a more diverse student population from across the country and the world. With a graduation rate of 58%, MCLA provides ample support to help students complete their degrees, while Williams boasts an impressive 96% graduation rate, reflecting its commitment to academic excellence. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions between these two institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Williams College
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	8.8%
Application fees	$50	$65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,371	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	574
Yield rate	13.4%	52.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	$78,060
Average net price	$14,902	$14,487
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $8,496	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,020	2,045
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	93.8%
Dropout rate	41.6%	3.1%
Transferred out	N/A	1.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Williams College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Williams College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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