Whitman College vs Macalester College

Whitman College and Macalester College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Whitman, nestled in the picturesque town of Walla Walla, Washington, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Macalester's 36%. With a larger student body, Macalester's campus in Saint Paul, Minnesota, fosters a diverse community, while Whitman's smaller size cultivates a close-knit atmosphere. While both colleges excel in the humanities and social sciences, Whitman emphasizes environmental studies and sciences, whereas Macalester is known for its international studies and pre-professional programs. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including graduation rates, popular majors, and student demographics, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Whitman College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Walla Walla, Washington
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	96.0%	89.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	59.0%
Application fees	$40	$50
SAT range	1340 - 1515	1295 - 1455
ACT range	29 - 33	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	5,155
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	3,039
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	477
Yield rate	21.3%	15.7%
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	$76,357	$71,982
Average net price	$30,939	$35,627
Tuition	$60,288	$55,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	Room/dormitory: $6,080 Meal plan: $7,720
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	91.0% Average amount $30,781
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	42.0% Average amount $4,853
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	2.0% Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	1,559 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	65.0%
International students	13.5%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,332	886
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Washington California Oregon Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	88.7%
Dropout rate	10.0%	1.6%
Transferred out	N/A	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,596 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $64,407 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $43,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,051 Year 2: $22,999 Year 3: $41,844 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: $27,584 Year 3: $39,355 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,868 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,472 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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