Carleton College vs Union College

Carleton College and Union College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 18.5%, while Union, located in Schenectady, New York, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 24.6%. Carleton's student body is predominantly White (68%) and female (56%), while Union's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of international students (13%) and a more balanced gender ratio (51% male, 49% female). Both colleges excel in academics, with Carleton being known for its strong science and social science programs, and Union being recognized for its engineering and business programs. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Union College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Schenectady, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	47.0%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1270 - 1450
ACT range	31 - 35	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	565
Yield rate	40.0%	16.1%
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	$78,315	$77,385
Average net price	$31,718	$39,101
Tuition	$59,850	$61,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,370 Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	84.5%
Dropout rate	8.3%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,637 Year 2: $67,812 Year 3: $76,098 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,348 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $74,456 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,171 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $54,902 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,157 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $47,142 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,375 Year 2: $34,081 Year 3: $44,570 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,903 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $41,845 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,392 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A

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Carleton College vs Union College

Carleton College

Union College

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Academics

Outcome

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