Wellesley College vs Bucknell University

Wellesley College and Bucknell University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wellesley, a women's college, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 22%, while Bucknell, a coeducational university, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 29%. Wellesley's student body is predominantly female, while Bucknell's is more evenly balanced. In terms of academics, Wellesley excels in the social sciences and humanities, while Bucknell is known for its strengths in engineering and business. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Wellesley's at 89% and Bucknell's at 87%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bucknell University	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	16.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1400 - 1540
ACT range	29 - 33	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	606
Yield rate	26.4%	48.9%
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	$64,602
Average net price	$38,170	$21,862
Tuition	$59,474	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $9,704 Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	76.9%	N/A
International students	5.3%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,394	2,211
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	92.1%
Dropout rate	0.6%	7.8%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $110,380 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $124,973 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,781 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,094 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $62,505 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,749 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,043 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,693 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $46,471 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,849 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $45,061 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,002 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,658 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,587 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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