Williams College vs Duke University

Williams College and Duke University, both highly esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Williams, a liberal arts college nestled in the picturesque Berkshires of Massachusetts, boasts a tight-knit community and an acceptance rate of 12.6%. Duke, a renowned research university located in Durham, North Carolina, offers a diverse range of academic programs and an acceptance rate of 8.2%. While both institutions excel in the humanities and social sciences, Williams is known for its strength in the arts, while Duke is renowned for its engineering and business programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Duke University	Williams College
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	8.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	$65
SAT range	1468 - 1558	N/A
ACT range	33 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	574
Yield rate	59.6%	52.2%
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)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,860	$78,060
Average net price	$27,297	$14,487
Tuition	$58,085	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	21.4%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	5,718	2,045
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	93.8%
Dropout rate	4.0%	3.1%
Transferred out	N/A	1.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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