St Olaf College vs Wheaton College

St. Olaf College and Wheaton College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (58%) compared to Wheaton's (44%). St. Olaf's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 12% of the population, while Wheaton's international student population is 8%. Both colleges offer a wide range of majors, with St. Olaf excelling in music and nursing, and Wheaton excelling in biblical and theological studies and business. St. Olaf's graduation rate is slightly higher at 85% compared to Wheaton's 83%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and similarities between these two exceptional institutions to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	St Olaf College	Wheaton College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Wheaton, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.4%	86.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1240 - 1430	1250 - 1430
ACT range	28 - 33	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	25.0%
Total number of applicants	6,494	1,993
Total number of admissions given out	3,080	1,719
Admitted students who chose to enroll	755	546
Yield rate	24.5%	31.8%
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	$66,570	$54,700
Average net price	$27,729	$28,319
Tuition	$52,670	$40,570
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280	Room/dormitory: $6,640 Meal plan: $4,660
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $37,281	91.0% Average amount $23,469
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,006	52.0% Average amount $5,169
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $15,087	5.0% Average amount $15,404

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%	2,341 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%
Graduate students	N/A	706 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.2%	5.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,703	2,153
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Psychology Theology Education Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.0%	87.6%
Dropout rate	3.9%	3.1%
Transferred out	11.0%	9.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,492 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,559 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,982 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $48,761 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,694 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $48,539 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,613 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $41,661 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,251 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $41,339 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,767 Year 2: $39,049 Year 3: $38,775 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,864 Year 3: $36,928 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,471 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $34,682 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,825 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $32,867 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,289

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