North Central vs Hamilton College

North Central College and Hamilton College, while both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct experiences for their students. North Central, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Hamilton's selective admissions (16%). With a larger student body, North Central fosters a diverse community, while Hamilton's smaller size promotes a close-knit atmosphere. Both colleges excel in academics, with popular majors in business, education, and nursing at North Central, and government, economics, and English at Hamilton. While North Central's graduation rate stands at 70%, Hamilton's is slightly higher at 89%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Hamilton College	North Central College
Overview
Location	Clinton, New York	Naperville, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
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	94.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.1%	68.4%
Application fees	$60	$25
SAT range	1410 - 1540	1030 - 1230
ACT range	33 - 35	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	9,380	4,551
Total number of admissions given out	1,320	3,113
Admitted students who chose to enroll	533	512
Yield rate	40.4%	16.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,700	$61,098
Average net price	$26,803	$26,207
Tuition	$59,380	$42,026
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910	Room/dormitory: $7,998 Meal plan: $3,890
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $47,867	100.0% Average amount $28,670
Students receiving federal student loan	35.0% Average amount $4,331	60.0% Average amount $5,156
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,195	25.0% Average amount $6,992

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	2,404 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	N/A	324 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.8%
International students	6.8%	3.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,057	1,333
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Wisconsin Indiana Ohio Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Mathematics and Statistics	Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.5%	64.4%
Dropout rate	0.8%	35.1%
Transferred out	6.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,561 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $74,669 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,155 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $71,061 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,815 Year 2: $58,921 Year 3: $66,245 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,117 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $64,795 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,621 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $51,292 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,923 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $50,109 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,795 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $49,516 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,391 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,721 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,154 Year 2: $45,584 Year 3: $46,743 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,411 Year 2: $40,441 Year 3: $44,647

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