College of the Atlantic vs Vassar College

College of the Atlantic and Vassar College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. College of the Atlantic, nestled in Bar Harbor, Maine, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, has a more selective admissions process with a 29% acceptance rate. COA's focus on environmental studies and experiential learning attracts students passionate about sustainability, while Vassar's liberal arts curriculum offers a wide range of majors, including popular choices like economics, political science, and psychology. COA's student body is predominantly white, while Vassar's student body is more diverse. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with COA at 75% and Vassar at 88%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	College of the Atlantic	Vassar College
Overview
Location	Bar Harbor, Maine	Poughkeepsie, New York
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	61.1%	20.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1420 - 1540
ACT range	N/A	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		31.0%
Students submitting ACT score		20.0%
Total number of applicants	525	10,884
Total number of admissions given out	321	2,193
Admitted students who chose to enroll	93	679
Yield rate	29.0%	31.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$50,442	$81,330
Average net price	$19,142	$27,249
Tuition	$42,993	$61,940
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,210 Meal plan: $3,537	$15,710
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $34,744	57.0% Average amount $49,162
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $4,759	46.0% Average amount $3,729
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $16,806	4.0% Average amount $14,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	374 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%	2,516 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	2 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	23.1%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	235	2,448
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Multidisciplinary Studies	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Ethnic Studies 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%	92.5%
Dropout rate	32.1%	5.6%
Transferred out	N/A	2.0%
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: $64,930 Year 2: $69,535 Year 3: $93,622 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,665 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,026 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,871 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $59,758 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,233 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,366 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,929 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $43,616 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,086 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,522 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $38,666 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,708 Year 3: $38,274 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,008 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $36,733 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,175 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $35,465

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