Wells College vs St Olaf College

Wells College and St Olaf 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 focus on personalized attention and leadership development. St Olaf, a coeducational college in Northfield, Minnesota, emphasizes its strong music and Scandinavian heritage, providing a vibrant campus life and a rigorous academic curriculum. While Wells boasts a higher acceptance rate and a smaller student body, St Olaf offers a wider range of popular majors and a slightly higher graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	St Olaf 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	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	46.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.4%	68.3%
Application fees
SAT range	1240 - 1430	N/A
ACT range	28 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%
Total number of applicants	6,494	2,167
Total number of admissions given out	3,080	1,480
Admitted students who chose to enroll	755	140
Yield rate	24.5%	9.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$66,570	$49,100
Average net price	$27,729	$19,963
Tuition	$52,670	$30,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280	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)	100.0% Average amount $37,281	100.0% Average amount $27,321
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,006	83.0% Average amount $5,847
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $15,087	19.0% Average amount $13,131

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%	342 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.2%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,703	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	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Education History
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.0%	55.0%
Dropout rate	3.9%	45.0%
Transferred out	11.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521	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 St Olaf College

St Olaf College

Wells College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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