Wilkes University vs Lafayette College

Wilkes University and Lafayette College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wilkes University, a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, boasts a 78% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with 48% male and 52% female undergraduates. Lafayette College, a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania, has a more selective admissions process, with a 34% acceptance rate. Its student body is predominantly male, with 57% male and 43% female undergraduates. Both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Wilkes University including Business, Education, and Nursing, while Lafayette College is known for its strengths in Engineering, Economics, and Government & Law. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' graduation rates, costs, and other key factors that may influence your college decision.

	Lafayette College	Wilkes University
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: 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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	94.8%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1040 - 1250
ACT range	30 - 33	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	4,019
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	3,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	556
Yield rate	23.2%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,934	$55,207
Average net price	$38,754	$30,155
Tuition	$55,874	$37,994
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	Room/dormitory: $9,492 Meal plan: $6,206
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	96.0% Average amount $26,371
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	84.0% Average amount $5,594
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	32.0% Average amount $16,328

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	2,232 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	N/A	3,044 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	82.6%	26.5%
International students	7.8%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,510	1,184
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Business
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	61.4%
Dropout rate	2.5%	11.2%
Transferred out	9.6%	26.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $126,057 Year 2: $133,171 Year 3: $124,927 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,920 Year 2: $110,559 Year 3: $119,036 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,305 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $65,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,200 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $64,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,705 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $63,832 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,105 Year 2: $65,035 Year 3: $63,464 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,835 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $59,300 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $56,693 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,044 Year 2: $53,099 Year 3: $55,573 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,218 Year 2: $44,776 Year 3: $55,534

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