Wartburg College vs Grinnell College

Wartburg College and Grinnell College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Wartburg, a Lutheran college, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Grinnell's selective admissions (20%). While Grinnell's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 12% of the population, Wartburg's student body is predominantly White (90%). Both colleges excel in academics, with Grinnell ranking higher in national liberal arts college rankings. However, Wartburg's focus on personalized attention is reflected in its smaller class sizes and higher graduation rate (73% vs. 68%). Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences, such as popular majors, cost, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Grinnell College	Wartburg College
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Waverly, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: 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	93.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	82.8%
Application fees
SAT range	1370 - 1530	973 - 1198
ACT range	30 - 34	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	49.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	4,024
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	3,330
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	413
Yield rate	42.5%	12.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,098	$59,890
Average net price	$37,423	$23,022
Tuition	$58,156	$45,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $5,730 Meal plan: $4,260
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	95.0% Average amount $34,498
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	72.0% Average amount $5,442
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	13.0% Average amount $14,049

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	1,516 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Graduate students	N/A	25 Men 28.0% Women 72.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	27.7%
International students	19.4%	6.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,450	1,409
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas	Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Education Communication and Journalism Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	69.9%
Dropout rate	12.9%	29.8%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,999 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $63,021 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,367 Year 2: $47,595 Year 3: $53,215 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,779 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $44,236 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,368 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $42,652 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,087 Year 2: $35,546 Year 3: $39,411 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,075 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $37,759 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $33,732 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,225 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,030 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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