Pitzer College vs Bard College at Simon's Rock

Pitzer College and Bard College at Simon's Rock, two esteemed liberal arts colleges, offer distinct educational experiences. Pitzer, nestled in Claremont, California, boasts a 12% acceptance rate, while Bard at Simon's Rock, located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 15%. Both institutions foster diverse student bodies, with Pitzer's student body comprising 48% students of color and Bard at Simon's Rock's student body comprising 38% students of color. While Pitzer's popular majors include Environmental Analysis, Psychology, and Economics, Bard at Simon's Rock students commonly pursue majors in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. With graduation rates of 84% and 82% respectively, both colleges ensure that their students are well-prepared for their post-graduate endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations

	Bard College at Simon's Rock	Pitzer College
Overview
Location	Great Barrington, Massachusetts	Claremont, California
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.1%	18.3%
Application fees		$70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	216	3,676
Total number of admissions given out	173	673
Admitted students who chose to enroll	111	357
Yield rate	64.2%	53.0%
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	$82,201	$74,950
Average net price	$37,869	$19,153
Tuition	$59,518	$57,686
Room & board	$16,618	Room/dormitory: $11,282 Meal plan: $7,898
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $38,315	42.0% Average amount $39,399
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,245	24.0% Average amount $3,323
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,602	1.0% Average amount $14,063

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	328 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%	1,168 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	11.0%	7.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	443	972
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Computer and Information Science	Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.6%	88.4%
Dropout rate	19.1%	11.2%
Transferred out	11.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,150 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,378 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A