Bucknell University vs St Olaf College

Bucknell University and St Olaf College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bucknell, a private research university in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, boasts a lower acceptance rate (28%) compared to St Olaf's 44%. Bucknell's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population, while St Olaf's international student population stands at 9%. In terms of popular majors, Bucknell excels in engineering, business, and the social sciences, while St Olaf shines in the liberal arts, music, and nursing. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Bucknell's at 89% and St Olaf's at 87%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bucknell University	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
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
Students retention rate	91.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	47.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1240 - 1430
ACT range	29 - 33	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	755
Yield rate	26.4%	24.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$77,740	$66,570
Average net price	$38,170	$27,729
Tuition	$59,474	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	N/A
International students	5.3%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,394	2,703
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	85.0%
Dropout rate	0.6%	3.9%
Transferred out	11.3%	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,290 Year 2: $66,147 Year 3: $82,360 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,437 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,333 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,748 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,343 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $69,149 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,231 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $68,732 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $66,842 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,041 Year 2: $55,102 Year 3: $63,698 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,358 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $60,608 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,507 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,352 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,905 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $55,173	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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