Wellesley College vs Claremont McKenna College

Wellesley College and Claremont McKenna College, two prestigious liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wellesley, an all-women's college in Massachusetts, boasts a 22% acceptance rate and a strong focus on social sciences and humanities. Claremont McKenna, a coeducational college in California, has a 13% acceptance rate and emphasizes economics, government, and public affairs. Both colleges have impressive graduation rates, with Wellesley at 93% and Claremont McKenna at 92%. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.
Claremont McKenna College logo

Claremont McKenna College

Wellesley College logo

Wellesley College

Overview

Location Claremont, California Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting Suburb: Large 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 98.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 11.2% 16.2%
Application fees $70
SAT range 1420 - 1530 1400 - 1540
ACT range 32 - 35 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 28.0% 36.0%
Students submitting ACT score 25.0% 23.0%
Total number of applicants 5,632 7,663
Total number of admissions given out 633 1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll 358 606
Yield rate 56.6% 48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,347 $64,602
Average net price $21,663 $21,862
Tuition $57,876 $60,424
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,626

Meal plan: $8,280
Room/dormitory: $9,704

Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $33,141
60.0%
Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan 17.0%
Average amount $3,535
13.0%
Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans 22.0%
Average amount $7,870
13.0%
Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,416
Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
2,461
Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students 6
Men 66.7% Women 33.3%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 52.1% N/A
International students 15.5% 13.8%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,354 2,211
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California New York Washington Texas Colorado N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 92.7% 92.1%
Dropout rate 7.3% 7.8%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,566
  • Year 2: $87,754
  • Year 3: $91,488
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $41,025
  • Year 3: N/A
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $100,075
  • Year 3: N/A
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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