Wellesley College vs Lafayette College

Wellesley College and Lafayette College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wellesley, a women's college located in Massachusetts, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 22%, while Lafayette, a coeducational college in Pennsylvania, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 30%. Both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs, with Wellesley excelling in the social sciences and humanities, and Lafayette emphasizing engineering, business, and the natural sciences. Wellesley's student body is predominantly female, while Lafayette's is more evenly balanced between men and women. Additionally, Wellesley has a slightly higher graduation rate of 89% compared to Lafayette's 86%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lafayette College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	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	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	16.2%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1400 - 1540
ACT range	30 - 33	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	606
Yield rate	23.2%	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	$75,934	$64,602
Average net price	$38,754	$21,862
Tuition	$55,874	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	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)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	82.6%	N/A
International students	7.8%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,510	2,211
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	92.1%
Dropout rate	2.5%	7.8%
Transferred out	9.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201	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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Wellesley College vs Lafayette College

Lafayette College

Wellesley College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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