Wells College vs Carleton College

Wells College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wells, a women's college in Aurora, New York, fosters a close-knit community with a 98% acceptance rate. Carleton, a coeducational college in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a rigorous academic environment with a 23% acceptance rate. While Wells excels in the social sciences and humanities, Carleton offers strengths in the natural sciences and engineering. Wells' student body is predominantly female, while Carleton's is more evenly balanced. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Wells at 75% and Carleton at 88%. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Wells College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Aurora, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	46.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	68.3%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	31 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,167
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,480
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	140
Yield rate	40.0%	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	$78,315	$49,100
Average net price	$31,718	$19,963
Tuition	$59,850	$30,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $11,800 Meal plan: $3,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	100.0% Average amount $27,321
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	83.0% Average amount $5,847
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	19.0% Average amount $13,131

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	342 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,854	442
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Education History
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	55.0%
Dropout rate	8.3%	45.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 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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Wells College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Wells College

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Financial Aid

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Academics

Outcome

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