St Olaf College vs Carleton College

St Olaf College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. St Olaf, rooted in its Lutheran heritage, emphasizes global citizenship and community engagement, while Carleton fosters intellectual curiosity and independent thinking. With acceptance rates of 49% and 23%, respectively, they attract academically accomplished students. St Olaf's popular majors include nursing, biology, and music, while Carleton students often pursue economics, political science, and English. St Olaf's student body is slightly larger and more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with St Olaf at 84% and Carleton at 89%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	47.4%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1240 - 1430
ACT range	31 - 35	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	755
Yield rate	40.0%	24.5%
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	$78,315	$66,570
Average net price	$31,718	$27,729
Tuition	$59,850	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,703
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	85.0%
Dropout rate	8.3%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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St Olaf College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

St Olaf College

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