Washington and Lee vs Bucknell University

Washington and Lee University and Bucknell University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Washington and Lee, nestled in the historic town of Lexington, Virginia, boasts a lower acceptance rate (18%) compared to Bucknell's (29%). While Bucknell's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a commitment to small class sizes, fostering personalized learning environments. Washington and Lee excels in liberal arts and pre-professional programs, while Bucknell offers a wider range of majors, including engineering and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about their differences in graduation rates, student demographics, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Bucknell University	Washington and Lee University
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Lexington, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	18.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	$60
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1410 - 1530
ACT range	29 - 33	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	32.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	6,621
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	1,248
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	484
Yield rate	26.4%	38.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,740	$80,300
Average net price	$38,170	$26,063
Tuition	$59,474	$58,260
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $8,600 Meal plan: $7,670
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	56.0% Average amount $51,537
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	13.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	6.0% Average amount $25,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,857 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	381 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	81.2%
International students	5.3%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,394	1,520
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	Virginia North Carolina Texas New York Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Legal Profession Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	93.6%
Dropout rate	0.6%	6.2%
Transferred out	11.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,290 Year 2: $66,147 Year 3: $82,360 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,437 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,333 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,748 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,343 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $69,149 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,231 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $68,732 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $66,842 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,041 Year 2: $55,102 Year 3: $63,698 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,358 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $60,608 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,507 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,352 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,905 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $55,173	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,231 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $85,103 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $63,586 Year 2: $72,642 Year 3: $83,304 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,449 Year 3: $79,551 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $69,951 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,643 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,713 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,059 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,231 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $45,285 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,593 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A

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