College of the Atlantic vs Swarthmore

College of the Atlantic and Swarthmore College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. College of the Atlantic, nestled in Bar Harbor, Maine, boasts a 98% acceptance rate, while Swarthmore College, located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, maintains a highly selective 11% acceptance rate. College of the Atlantic's focus on environmental studies and experiential learning attracts students passionate about sustainability, while Swarthmore's rigorous liberal arts curriculum draws students seeking a well-rounded education. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
College of the Atlantic logo

College of the Atlantic

Swarthmore College logo

Swarthmore College

Overview

Location Bar Harbor, Maine Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Trimester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 81.0% 95.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 61.1% 7.8%
Application fees $60
SAT range N/A 1430 - 1560
ACT range N/A 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 39.0%
Students submitting ACT score 21.0%
Total number of applicants 525 13,012
Total number of admissions given out 321 1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll 93 454
Yield rate 29.0% 44.8%
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 $50,442 $75,793
Average net price $19,142 $19,733
Tuition $42,993 $55,856
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,210

Meal plan: $3,537
Room/dormitory: $8,796

Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

98.0%
Average amount $34,744
76.0%
Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan 64.0%
Average amount $4,759
6.0%
Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans 6.0%
Average amount $16,806
1.0%
Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 374
Men 29.7% Women 70.3%
1,651
Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students 2
Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 89.9%
International students 23.1% 15.4%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 235 1,605
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 66.7% 94.1%
Dropout rate 32.1% 5.7%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $21,916
  • Year 2: $16,920
  • Year 3: $24,486
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,897
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $113,966
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,029
  • Year 2: $81,702
  • Year 3: $88,391
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,119
  • Year 2: $39,369
  • Year 3: $44,841
Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $42,944
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,425
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: $36,220
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,963
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,964
  • Year 2: $125,015
  • Year 3: N/A
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $43,426
  • Year 3: N/A

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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