Whittier College vs Carleton College

Whittier College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Whittier College, nestled in Southern California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on community engagement. Carleton College, located in the heart of Minnesota, is known for its rigorous academic programs and vibrant intellectual community. With acceptance rates of 65% and 22%, respectively, these colleges attract students with varying academic backgrounds and aspirations. While Whittier College offers popular majors in business, psychology, and communications, Carleton College excels in fields such as economics, political science, and biology. Discover more about these colleges' unique strengths and offerings by exploring the comprehensive comparison table, which delves into acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Carleton College	Whittier College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Whittier, California
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	82.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1120 - 1340
ACT range	31 - 35	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,884
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	277
Yield rate	40.0%	11.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$78,315	$61,014
Average net price	$31,718	$22,091
Tuition	$59,850	$48,924
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,216 Meal plan: $6,756
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	97.0% Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	65.0% Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	6.0% Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,325 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	N/A	62 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,854	849
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Education Family and Consumer Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	63.6%
Dropout rate	8.3%	3.6%
Transferred out	N/A	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $34,282 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $64,434 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,241 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $59,453 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,364 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $54,567 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,650 Year 2: $35,914 Year 3: $47,815 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,730 Year 2: $28,309 Year 3: $42,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,976 Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $38,238 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,267 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $37,247 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,562 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $35,879 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,185 Year 2: $16,015 Year 3: $34,329 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,103 Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: $30,273

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Whittier College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Whittier College

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Outcome

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