Reed College vs Carleton College

Reed College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Reed, located in Portland, Oregon, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while Carleton, nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 42%. While both colleges emphasize academic rigor, Reed is known for its open curriculum, allowing students to design their own course of study, while Carleton follows a more traditional structure with a core curriculum. In terms of student demographics, Reed's student body is slightly more diverse, with 48% identifying as students of color compared to Carleton's 42%. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Reed at 83% and Carleton at 89%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional colleges. Dive in to discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Reed College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	43.8%
Application fees		$75
SAT range	1408 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	31 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	7,010
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	3,071
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	502
Yield rate	40.0%	16.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,315	$77,020
Average net price	$31,718	$33,056
Tuition	$59,850	$62,420
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $7,510
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	58.0% Average amount $43,945
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	46.0% Average amount $4,374
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	7.0% Average amount $19,335

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,548 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	18 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	88.7%
International students	10.2%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,854	1,113
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	California Oregon Washington New York Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	72.7%
Dropout rate	8.3%	8.2%
Transferred out	N/A	17.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,088 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,874 Year 3: $23,169 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,125 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A

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Reed College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Reed College

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Academics

Outcome

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