Carleton College vs Vanderbilt

Carleton College and Vanderbilt University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, a liberal arts college nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching. Vanderbilt, a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, offers a wide range of academic programs and opportunities for research and collaboration. With acceptance rates of 18% and 10%, respectively, both institutions are highly selective. Carleton's student body is predominantly White (68%) and female (56%), while Vanderbilt's is more diverse, with a larger population of students of color (38%) and a more even gender distribution (51% female, 49% male). Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.
Carleton College logo

Carleton College

Vanderbilt University logo

Vanderbilt University

Overview

Location Northfield, Minnesota Nashville, Tennessee
Campus setting Town: Distant City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Trimester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 17.5% 7.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $95
SAT range 1408 - 1550 1480 - 1570
ACT range 31 - 35 34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 35.0% 25.0%
Students submitting ACT score 34.0% 32.0%
Total number of applicants 7,915 47,152
Total number of admissions given out 1,389 3,368
Admitted students who chose to enroll 555 1,626
Yield rate 40.0% 48.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,315 $79,538
Average net price $31,718 $27,553
Tuition $59,850 $54,840
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,115

Meal plan: $7,260
Room/dormitory: $12,000

Meal plan: $6,376
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $45,715
64.0%
Average amount $49,730
Students receiving federal student loan 45.0%
Average amount $3,914
10.0%
Average amount $4,979
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $14,334
2.0%
Average amount $27,798

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,044
Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
7,111
Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students N/A 6,685
Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 81.5% 89.5%
International students 10.2% 11.7%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,854 5,598
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas Tennessee California New York Florida Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Physical Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 91.4% 93.4%
Dropout rate 8.3% 6.4%
Transferred out N/A N/A
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
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,041
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $169,145
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $129,825
  • Year 2: $130,517
  • Year 3: $144,008
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $131,102
  • Year 2: $117,572
  • Year 3: $133,025
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $128,494
  • Year 2: $127,087
  • Year 3: $132,454
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $132,293
  • Year 2: $114,324
  • Year 3: $130,516
Marketing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,764
  • Year 2: $111,620
  • Year 3: $121,754
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $126,876
  • Year 2: $119,805
  • Year 3: $112,193
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,224
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $108,525
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,979
  • Year 2: $93,249
  • Year 3: $101,010
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,609
  • Year 2: $80,309
  • Year 3: $95,754

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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