Sterling College vs Swarthmore

Sterling College and Swarthmore College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Sterling College, nestled in the picturesque town of Craftsbury Common, Vermont, is a small, private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 80%. Swarthmore College, located in the vibrant town of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is also a private liberal arts college, but with a more selective admissions process, boasting an acceptance rate of 11%. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in their popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Sterling College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Sterling, Kansas	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Rural: 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	55.0%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.4%	7.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	$60
SAT range	996 - 1166	1430 - 1560
ACT range	18 - 25	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	12.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	2,574	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	1,220	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	206	454
Yield rate	16.9%	44.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,886	$75,793
Average net price	$22,377	$19,733
Tuition	$27,000	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,516 Meal plan: $5,608	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $18,158	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,750	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $11,649	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	686 Men 59.0% Women 41.0%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	14 Men 14.3% Women 85.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.9%
International students	5.3%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	635	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Business	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	43.2%	94.1%
Dropout rate	25.2%	5.7%
Transferred out	30.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $97,897 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $113,966 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,029 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $88,391 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,119 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,841 Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $42,944 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $36,220 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,963 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,964 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A

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