Smith College vs Union College

Smith College and Union College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Smith, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, boasts a 44% acceptance rate and a student body of over 2,600 undergraduates. Union, a coeducational college in Schenectady, New York, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 48% and a larger undergraduate population of over 2,300. While both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs, Smith is known for its strengths in the social sciences and humanities, while Union excels in engineering and the natural sciences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these colleges, including their graduation rates, popular majors, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.
Smith College logo

Smith College

Union College logo

Union College

Overview

Location Northampton, Massachusetts Schenectady, New York
Campus setting Suburb: Large City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Trimester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 91.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 29.9% 47.0%
Application fees $60 $60
SAT range 1370 - 1530 1270 - 1450
ACT range 31 - 34 28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score 34.0% 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 16.0%
Total number of applicants 6,064 7,470
Total number of admissions given out 1,814 3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll 676 565
Yield rate 37.3% 16.1%
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) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $68,128 $77,385
Average net price $29,569 $39,101
Tuition $55,830 $61,308
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,700

Meal plan: $9,720
Room/dormitory: $8,370

Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

70.0%
Average amount $44,108
87.0%
Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan 35.0%
Average amount $3,560
48.0%
Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $8,280
14.0%
Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,566
Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
2,096
Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students 358
Men 16.2% Women 83.8%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 13.4% 9.8%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,519 2,049
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Mississippi New York California Connecticut Maryland N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Social Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.0% 84.5%
Dropout rate 3.6% 14.6%
Transferred out 5.1% 0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,496
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $70,990
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,650
  • Year 3: $56,651
Social Work (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,011
  • Year 2: $45,554
  • Year 3: $53,962
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $46,620
  • Year 3: $53,886
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,098
  • Year 2: $43,798
  • Year 3: $48,619
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,776
  • Year 2: $39,153
  • Year 3: $43,120
Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $31,839
  • Year 3: $41,147
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,006
  • Year 2: $18,566
  • Year 3: $41,145
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,954
  • Year 2: $28,019
  • Year 3: $40,411
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,603
  • Year 3: $38,497
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,637
  • Year 2: $67,812
  • Year 3: $76,098
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,348
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $74,456
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,171
  • Year 2: $41,565
  • Year 3: $54,902
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,157
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $47,142
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,375
  • Year 2: $34,081
  • Year 3: $44,570
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,903
  • Year 2: $39,585
  • Year 3: $41,845
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: N/A
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: N/A
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $63,392
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,824
  • Year 3: N/A

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