Mount Holyoke College vs Spelman College

Mount Holyoke College and Spelman College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences for women seeking academic excellence. Mount Holyoke, nestled in the picturesque Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, boasts a long history of empowering women since its founding in 1837. Spelman, located in the vibrant city of Atlanta, Georgia, has been a beacon of opportunity for African American women since 1881. While both colleges share a commitment to providing a transformative education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal goals.

	Mount Holyoke College	Spelman College
Overview
Location	South Hadley, Massachusetts	Atlanta, Georgia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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	91.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.3%	50.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50	$40
SAT range	1300 - 1510	N/A
ACT range	31 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	24.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,971	11,176
Total number of admissions given out	2,077	5,673
Admitted students who chose to enroll	608	794
Yield rate	29.3%	14.0%
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	$73,438	$48,244
Average net price	$29,218	$28,527
Tuition	$56,300	$25,249
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $8,260	$15,063
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $30,351	96.0% Average amount $10,839
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,906	76.0% Average amount $5,707
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $4,982	5.0% Average amount $13,717

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,220 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%	2,417 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	122 Men 13.1% Women 86.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	76.0%
International students	23.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,171	1,401
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida	Georgia Maryland Texas California New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Health Professions English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.0%	76.2%
Dropout rate	2.9%	9.2%
Transferred out	11.9%	13.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,377 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $46,206 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,152 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,150 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,038 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,403 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,356 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $35,497 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $34,113 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,168 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $33,868 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $30,295 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $30,137 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,160 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $29,034	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,695 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $59,027 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,667 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $52,483 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,355 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $44,720 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,573 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $39,388 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,944 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $39,024 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,532 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,350 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,318 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $20,552 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,181 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $15,552 Year 3: N/A

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