Sweet Briar College vs Salem College

Sweet Briar College and Salem College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Sweet Briar, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Salem's 65%. While Salem's student body is predominantly female, Sweet Briar has a more balanced gender ratio. In terms of academics, Sweet Briar excels in the fields of natural sciences and mathematics, while Salem is renowned for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences. Both colleges offer competitive graduation rates, with Sweet Briar's rate slightly higher at 68% compared to Salem's 65%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Salem College	Sweet Briar College
Overview
Location	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Sweet Briar, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.2%	80.0%
Application fees	$30	$40
SAT range	1053 - 1200	1020 - 1260
ACT range	17 - 21	23 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	14.0%
Total number of applicants	479	1,192
Total number of admissions given out	432	954
Admitted students who chose to enroll	48	177
Yield rate	11.1%	18.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$35,016	$34,330
Average net price	$11,408	$22,711
Tuition	$30,500	$22,120
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $6,150	$13,880
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $26,404	93.0% Average amount $17,220
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $4,282	44.0% Average amount $4,949
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $3,977	2.0% Average amount $6,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	364 Men 1.9% Women 98.1%	452 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	132 Men 9.1% Women 90.9%	2 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	15.6%	N/A
International students	N/A	5.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	386	561
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia Connecticut Delaware Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Psychology Education Engineering Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.4%	41.7%
Dropout rate	9.8%	16.7%
Transferred out	22.8%	41.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,373 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $41,915 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,850 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,313 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,085 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,016 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,118 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $44,499 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,212 Year 3: N/A

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Sweet Briar College vs Salem College

Salem College

Sweet Briar College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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