Whittier College vs Grinnell College

Whittier College and Grinnell 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. Grinnell College, located in the heart of Iowa, is known for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to sustainability. With acceptance rates of 68% and 22%, respectively, these colleges cater to different levels of competitiveness. While Whittier College excels in majors like Business Administration and Psychology, Grinnell College shines in fields such as Economics and Environmental Studies. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Grinnell College	Whittier College
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Whittier, California
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	82.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1120 - 1340
ACT range	30 - 34	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	2,884
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	277
Yield rate	42.5%	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	$76,098	$61,014
Average net price	$37,423	$22,091
Tuition	$58,156	$48,924
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	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)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	97.0% Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	65.0% Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	6.0% Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	1,325 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	N/A	62 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	19.4%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,450	849
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Education Family and Consumer Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	63.6%
Dropout rate	12.9%	3.6%
Transferred out	N/A	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A 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

Compare Similar Colleges

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Grinnell College

University of California-Berkeley