Amherst College vs Franklin and Marshall College (FandM)

Amherst College and Franklin and Marshall College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, nestled in the heart of the Pioneer Valley, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 13.2%, while Franklin and Marshall, located in the vibrant city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers a slightly higher acceptance rate of 44.4%. Amherst's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 14% of the population compared to Franklin and Marshall's 6%. In terms of academic offerings, Amherst students gravitate towards majors in the social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences, while Franklin and Marshall students often pursue degrees in business, management, and social sciences. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst's at 94% and Franklin and Marshall's at 88%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions.

	Amherst College	Franklin and Marshall College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Lancaster, 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
Students retention rate	98.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	37.5%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	1370 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	32 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	7,720
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	2,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	510
Yield rate	42.1%	17.6%
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	$80,050	$80,618
Average net price	$18,809	$26,316
Tuition	$60,700	$63,216
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	Room/dormitory: $8,722 Meal plan: $6,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	62.0% Average amount $50,026
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	53.0% Average amount $4,947
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	7.0% Average amount $16,505

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,145 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,000	2,272
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Social Sciences Physical Science Ethnic Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	82.8%
Dropout rate	2.5%	2.0%
Transferred out	3.6%	13.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,775 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,870 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,970 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $85,992 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,271 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,030 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $53,743 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,419 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $46,160 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,744 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,173 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,896 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,310 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,518 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $67,095 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,376 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,284 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,518 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,220 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $50,175 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,598 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $49,088 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,421 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $48,325 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $44,196 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,487 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $42,722 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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