Wells College vs Bard College

Wells College and Bard College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wells, a women's college in Aurora, New York, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on personalized education, reflected in its low student-to-faculty ratio. Bard, a coeducational college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and experiential learning, evident in its array of off-campus programs. While Wells has a higher acceptance rate, Bard attracts a more diverse student body. Both colleges offer a range of popular majors, including social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, but Bard also features unique programs like environmental studies and music. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' graduation rates, costs, and other key factors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bard College	Wells College
Overview
Location	Annandale-On-Hudson, New York	Aurora, New York
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Rural: Distant
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	87.0%	46.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.9%	68.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	5,167	2,167
Total number of admissions given out	3,096	1,480
Admitted students who chose to enroll	473	140
Yield rate	15.3%	9.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,868	$49,100
Average net price	$24,318	$19,963
Tuition	$57,498	$30,950
Room & board	$16,760	Room/dormitory: $11,800 Meal plan: $3,000
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $50,598	100.0% Average amount $27,321
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,101	83.0% Average amount $5,847
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $16,225	19.0% Average amount $13,131

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,171 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	342 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	420 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	14.7%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,400	442
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Natural Resources and Conservation	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Education History
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	55.0%
Dropout rate	9.9%	45.0%
Transferred out	18.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,261 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,624 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,518 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,944 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,353 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,051 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,774 Year 2: $17,560 Year 3: $31,573 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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