Santa Clara U vs Lafayette College

Santa Clara University and Lafayette College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Santa Clara, a Jesuit university located in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Lafayette, a private liberal arts college nestled in the charming town of Easton, Pennsylvania, emphasizes experiential learning and offers a wide range of undergraduate programs. With acceptance rates of 54% and 34%, respectively, these universities attract academically talented students from across the nation. While Santa Clara's popular majors include computer science, engineering, and business, Lafayette excels in fields such as engineering, economics, and government & law. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lafayette College	Santa Clara University
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	Santa Clara, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	54.0%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $73
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1330 - 1490
ACT range	30 - 33	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	16,848
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	9,095
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	1,549
Yield rate	23.2%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$75,934	$78,999
Average net price	$38,754	$48,469
Tuition	$55,874	$55,224
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	$16,533
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	73.0% Average amount $23,770
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	24.0% Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	2.0% Average amount $30,446

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	5,895 Men 52.7% Women 47.3%
Graduate students	N/A	3,023 Men 46.0% Women 54.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	82.6%	44.6%
International students	7.8%	12.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,510	3,551
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Business Engineering Legal Profession Education Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	90.9%
Dropout rate	2.5%	9.0%
Transferred out	9.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,643 Year 2: $128,588 Year 3: $140,820 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,523 Year 2: $103,449 Year 3: $131,051 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,788 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $129,018 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,729 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $100,639 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,066 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $96,312 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,547 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,288 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $93,193 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,821 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $90,013 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,047 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,828 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $87,254

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