Westmont College vs Principia College

Westmont College and Principia College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Westmont, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California, boasts an acceptance rate of 48% and a diverse student body representing 49 states and 50 countries. Principia, a Christian Science college in Elsah, Illinois, has a lower acceptance rate of 38% and a student body primarily from the United States. Both colleges excel in academics, with Westmont's popular majors including biology, psychology, and business administration, while Principia's strengths lie in engineering, education, and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' graduation rates, costs, and unique offerings, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Principia College	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
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%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	79.0%
Application fees
SAT range	1028 - 1193	1160 - 1460
ACT range	21 - 28	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	138	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	116	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	333
Yield rate	68.1%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,820	$61,110
Average net price	$19,816	$33,554
Tuition	$29,970	$47,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	92.7%	31.1%
International students	24.3%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	585	1,207
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	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	73.4%
Dropout rate	14.1%	26.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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