Wheaton College (Massachusetts) vs Bates College

Wheaton College and Bates College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wheaton, nestled in Norton, Massachusetts, boasts a higher acceptance rate (64%) compared to Bates' selective 15%. With a larger student body, Wheaton fosters a diverse community, while Bates' smaller size cultivates a close-knit atmosphere. While both colleges excel in the humanities and social sciences, Wheaton emphasizes the arts and sciences, while Bates leans towards the natural sciences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these colleges' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Norton, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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	92.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	82.1%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	N/A	1160 - 1360
ACT range	N/A	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		21.0%
Students submitting ACT score		4.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	3,724
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	3,056
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	493
Yield rate	43.6%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,870	$74,850
Average net price	$26,231	$28,867
Tuition	$59,062	$57,700
Room & board	$16,658	Room/dormitory: $7,850 Meal plan: $6,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	100.0% Average amount $41,156
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	58.0% Average amount $5,078
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	14.0% Average amount $15,391

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	1,701 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,816	1,768
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Education Computer and Information Science Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	72.9%
Dropout rate	2.3%	11.8%
Transferred out	5.8%	15.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,007 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $55,038 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,034 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $52,206 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,967 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $49,555 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,761 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $40,190 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,709 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $37,883 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,304 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $37,007 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,711 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $35,987 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,457 Year 2: $23,693 Year 3: $30,411 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,450 Year 2: $36,134 Year 3: N/A

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