Sterling College vs Macalester College

Sterling College and Macalester College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Sterling College, nestled in the picturesque town of Craftsbury Common, Vermont, stands out with its focus on environmental stewardship and experiential learning. Macalester College, located in the vibrant city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body and a strong liberal arts curriculum. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Sterling College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Sterling, Kansas
Campus setting	City: Large	Rural: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	55.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	47.4%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	1340 - 1515	996 - 1166
ACT range	29 - 33	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	33.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	2,574
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	1,220
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	206
Yield rate	21.3%	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	$76,357	$42,886
Average net price	$30,939	$22,377
Tuition	$60,288	$27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	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)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	100.0% Average amount $18,158
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	70.0% Average amount $5,750
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	8.0% Average amount $11,649

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	686 Men 59.0% Women 41.0%
Graduate students	N/A	14 Men 14.3% Women 85.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	13.5%	5.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,332	635
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	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Business
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	43.2%
Dropout rate	10.0%	25.2%
Transferred out	N/A	30.9%
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	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 Macalester College

Macalester College

Sterling College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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