Wells College vs Principia College

Wells College and Principia College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Wells College, a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Principia College, a private Christian college in Elsah, Illinois, has a more selective admissions process with a 50% acceptance rate. Wells College is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while Principia College excels in STEM fields and pre-professional programs. Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with Wells College emphasizing interdisciplinary studies and Principia College providing a strong foundation in the liberal arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Principia College	Wells College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Aurora, New York
Campus setting	Rural: 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	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	46.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	68.3%
Application fees
SAT range	1028 - 1193	N/A
ACT range	21 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	138	2,167
Total number of admissions given out	116	1,480
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	140
Yield rate	68.1%	9.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,820	$49,100
Average net price	$19,816	$19,963
Tuition	$29,970	$30,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	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)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	100.0% Average amount $27,321
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	83.0% Average amount $5,847
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	19.0% Average amount $13,131

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	342 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	92.7%	N/A
International students	24.3%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	585	442
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Education History
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	55.0%
Dropout rate	14.1%	45.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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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