Sarah Lawrence College vs Macalester College

Sarah Lawrence College and Macalester College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Sarah Lawrence, located in Bronxville, New York, stands out for its highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 44%, and its innovative curriculum, which emphasizes individualized study and interdisciplinary exploration. Macalester, situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body, with 20% international students and a strong commitment to social justice and global engagement. While Sarah Lawrence excels in the arts and humanities, Macalester offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like economics and political science. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Sarah Lawrence at 84% and Macalester at 83%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Sarah Lawrence College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Bronxville, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	88.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	58.5%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1340 - 1515	1260 - 1470
ACT range	29 - 33	29 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	4,452
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	2,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	438
Yield rate	21.3%	16.8%
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	$76,357	$77,228
Average net price	$30,939	$34,091
Tuition	$60,288	$58,936
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	Room/dormitory: $10,774 Meal plan: $5,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	90.0% Average amount $36,103
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	48.0% Average amount $5,321
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	5.0% Average amount $18,443

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	1,529 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Graduate students	N/A	237 Men 16.5% Women 83.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	13.5%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,332	1,075
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Health Professions English Language and Literature Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	76.5%
Dropout rate	10.0%	14.2%
Transferred out	N/A	9.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A	Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,795 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $79,341 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,995 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,788 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,028 Year 2: $21,873 Year 3: $29,006 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $26,708 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,966 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Sarah Lawrence College vs Macalester College

Macalester College

Sarah Lawrence College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About