Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs Grinnell College

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Grinnell College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Mary's, a private Catholic university, boasts a 95% acceptance rate, while Grinnell, a private liberal arts college, has a highly selective 20% acceptance rate. Saint Mary's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Grinnell's is more evenly balanced (51% female, 49% male). Both institutions excel in academics, with Saint Mary's popular majors including nursing, business, and education, and Grinnell's strengths lying in social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. While Saint Mary's boasts a higher graduation rate (70%) than Grinnell (66%), both universities prepare their graduates for successful careers or further education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Grinnell College logo

Grinnell College

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota logo

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Overview

Location Grinnell, Iowa Winona, Minnesota
Campus setting Town: Remote Town: Distant
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 93.0% 79.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 10.5% 97.8%
Application fees
SAT range 1370 - 1530 N/A
ACT range 30 - 34 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 29.0%
Students submitting ACT score 33.0%
Total number of applicants 10,513 1,587
Total number of admissions given out 1,108 1,552
Admitted students who chose to enroll 471 234
Yield rate 42.5% 15.1%
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) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,098 $53,010
Average net price $37,423 $21,606
Tuition $58,156 $38,780
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,779

Meal plan: $7,572
Room/dormitory: $5,550

Meal plan: $4,370
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $35,821
100.0%
Average amount $29,804
Students receiving federal student loan 36.0%
Average amount $3,952
64.0%
Average amount $5,074
Students taking out private loans 12.0%
Average amount $5,903
18.0%
Average amount $13,389

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,748
Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
1,246
Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students N/A 3,455
Men 27.9% Women 72.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 91.5% N/A
International students 19.4% 1.7%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 1,450 982
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Physical Science
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Psychology
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 18:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.9% 56.7%
Dropout rate 12.9% 43.3%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,661
  • Year 2: $52,941
  • Year 3: $55,487
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,893
  • Year 2: $34,704
  • Year 3: $49,481
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,499
  • Year 2: $29,141
  • Year 3: $41,882
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,517
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $40,572
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $37,882
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: $37,613
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,718
  • Year 2: $19,227
  • Year 3: $29,237
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,140
  • Year 3: $28,680
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,658
  • Year 2: $91,744
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,239
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $205,288
  • Year 2: $188,108
  • Year 3: $200,367
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,392
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $92,831
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $83,325
  • Year 3: $84,496
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,293
  • Year 2: $72,469
  • Year 3: $75,257
Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: $73,455
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,971
  • Year 2: $52,733
  • Year 3: $66,522
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,579
  • Year 2: $62,012
  • Year 3: $65,510
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,954
  • Year 2: $59,350
  • Year 3: $61,989
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,143
  • Year 2: $58,221
  • Year 3: $60,858
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,758
  • Year 2: $49,840
  • Year 3: $60,264

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