Mills College vs Swarthmore

Mills College and Swarthmore College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Mills, a women's college located in Oakland, California, fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, while Swarthmore, a coeducational college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, emphasizes rigorous academics and a vibrant campus community. With acceptance rates of 67% and 11%, respectively, both colleges attract academically talented students. Mills' popular majors include psychology, biology, and environmental studies, while Swarthmore's strengths lie in engineering, economics, and political science. Mills' student body is predominantly female, while Swarthmore's is more evenly balanced. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Mills at 79% and Swarthmore at 94%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Mills College logo

Mills College

Swarthmore College logo

Swarthmore College

Overview

Location Oakland, California Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
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 and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 62.0% 95.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 79.8% 7.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
$60
SAT range 1378 - 1413 1430 - 1560
ACT range 30 - 31 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 5.0% 39.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0% 21.0%
Total number of applicants 847 13,012
Total number of admissions given out 676 1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll 39 454
Yield rate 5.8% 44.8%
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) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $51,108 $75,793
Average net price $25,283 $19,733
Tuition $29,340 $55,856
Room & board $14,369
Room/dormitory: $8,796

Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $22,278
76.0%
Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan 47.0%
Average amount $5,389
6.0%
Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $29,740
1.0%
Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 446
Men 0.4% Women 99.6%
1,651
Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students 371
Men 18.3% Women 81.7%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 89.9%
International students 1.1% 15.4%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 705 1,605
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 64.0% 94.1%
Dropout rate 36.0% 5.7%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,948
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $70,496
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,134
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $57,979
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,320
  • Year 2: $56,579
  • Year 3: $56,033
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $49,646
  • Year 3: $52,756
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,658
  • Year 3: $23,920
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,216
  • Year 2: $24,808
  • Year 3: $23,861
Music (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $22,841
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,229
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: N/A
Literature (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,533
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,897
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $113,966
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,029
  • Year 2: $81,702
  • Year 3: $88,391
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,119
  • Year 2: $39,369
  • Year 3: $44,841
Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $42,944
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,425
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: $36,220
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,963
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,964
  • Year 2: $125,015
  • Year 3: N/A
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $43,426
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Mills College Mills College vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Mills College Mills College vs Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design
Mills College Mills College vs Chapman University Chapman University
Mills College Mills College vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Mills College Mills College vs Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University
Mills College Mills College vs Menlo College Menlo College
Mills College Mills College vs Pacific Union College Pacific Union College
Mills College Mills College vs Pomona College Pomona College
Mills College Mills College vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
Mills College Mills College vs Principia College Principia College
Mills College Mills College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
Mills College Mills College vs Bay Path University Bay Path University
Mills College Mills College vs Bard College Bard College
Mills College Mills College vs Kenyon College Kenyon College
Mills College Mills College vs Union Institute & University Union Institute & University
Mills College Mills College vs Pacific University Pacific University
Mills College Mills College vs Reed College Reed College
Mills College Mills College vs Haverford College Haverford College
Mills College Mills College vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
Mills College Mills College vs Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University
Mills College Mills College vs Hollins University Hollins University
Mills College Mills College vs Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
Mills College Mills College vs St. John's College St. John's College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Pomona College Pomona College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Bates College Bates College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Colby College Colby College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Harvard University Harvard University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Smith College Smith College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Williams College Williams College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Carleton College Carleton College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Macalester College Macalester College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Bard College Bard College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Union College Union College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Vassar College Vassar College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Davidson College Davidson College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Duke University Duke University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Oberlin College Oberlin College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Reed College Reed College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Haverford College Haverford College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Brown University Brown University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Rice University Rice University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Trinity University Trinity University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Virginia Military Institute Virginia Military Institute
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
Swarthmore College Swarthmore vs Stanford University Stanford University