Sterling College vs Carleton College

Sterling College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Sterling, nestled in the picturesque town of Craftsbury Common, Vermont, boasts a tight-knit community and an acceptance rate of 80%. Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, is known for its rigorous academics and a vibrant student body, with an acceptance rate of 22%. While Sterling's popular majors include Environmental Studies, Outdoor Education, and Sustainable Agriculture, Carleton students often pursue majors in Economics, Political Science, and English. Sterling's student body is predominantly white (87%) and female (60%), while Carleton's student body is more diverse, with 53% white students and a 50-50 gender ratio. Sterling's graduation rate stands at 75%, while Carleton's is slightly higher at 88%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations

	Carleton College	Sterling College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Sterling, Kansas
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Rural: 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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	55.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	47.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	1408 - 1550	996 - 1166
ACT range	31 - 35	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	33.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,574
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,220
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	206
Yield rate	40.0%	16.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,315	$42,886
Average net price	$31,718	$22,377
Tuition	$59,850	$27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $3,516 Meal plan: $5,608
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 $18,158
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	70.0% Average amount $5,750
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	8.0% Average amount $11,649

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	686 Men 59.0% Women 41.0%
Graduate students	N/A	14 Men 14.3% Women 85.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	5.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,854	635
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	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Business
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	43.2%
Dropout rate	8.3%	25.2%
Transferred out	N/A	30.9%
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	Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,167 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,697 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,026 Year 2: $36,745 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A

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Sterling College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Sterling College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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