Whittier College vs Macalester College

Whittier College and Macalester 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. Macalester College, located in the vibrant city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is known for its rigorous academics and global perspective. With acceptance rates of 68% and 29%, respectively, these colleges cater to students with varying academic backgrounds. While Whittier College excels in majors like Business Administration and Psychology, Macalester College shines in fields such as Economics and Political Science. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.
Macalester College logo

Macalester College

Whittier College logo

Whittier College

Overview

Location Saint Paul, Minnesota Whittier, California
Campus setting City: Large 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 96.0% 82.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation Presbyterian

Admission

Acceptance rate 31.3% 82.5%
Application fees $40
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $70
SAT range 1340 - 1515 1120 - 1340
ACT range 29 - 33 23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score 35.0% 11.0%
Students submitting ACT score 39.0% 9.0%
Total number of applicants 9,046 2,884
Total number of admissions given out 2,828 2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll 601 277
Yield rate 21.3% 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 $76,357 $61,014
Average net price $30,939 $22,091
Tuition $60,288 $48,924
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,272

Meal plan: $6,270
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)

87.0%
Average amount $42,832
97.0%
Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan 39.0%
Average amount $4,799
65.0%
Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans 29.0%
Average amount $4,321
6.0%
Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,244
Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
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 N/A N/A
International students 13.5% 6.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,332 849
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
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 89.7% 63.6%
Dropout rate 10.0% 3.6%
Transferred out N/A 31.9%
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
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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