Grinnell College vs Harvard

Grinnell College and Harvard University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, a liberal arts college in Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while Harvard, an Ivy League research university in Massachusetts, is renowned for its academic rigor and extensive resources. With acceptance rates of 22% and 5%, respectively, both institutions are highly selective. Grinnell's popular majors include biology, economics, and English, while Harvard offers a wide range of disciplines, with popular choices such as computer science, economics, and history. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Grinnell College logo

Grinnell College

Harvard University logo

Harvard University

Overview

Location Grinnell, Iowa Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting Town: Remote City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 93.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 10.5% 4.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $105
SAT range 1370 - 1530 1480 - 1580
ACT range 30 - 34 33 - 36
Students submitting SAT score 29.0% 54.0%
Students submitting ACT score 33.0% 31.0%
Total number of applicants 10,513 57,786
Total number of admissions given out 1,108 2,318
Admitted students who chose to enroll 471 1,951
Yield rate 42.5% 84.2%
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) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,098 $78,028
Average net price $37,423 $13,910
Tuition $58,156 $51,143
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,779

Meal plan: $7,572
Room/dormitory: $11,705

Meal plan: $7,236
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $35,821
56.0%
Average amount $59,840
Students receiving federal student loan 36.0%
Average amount $3,952
3.0%
Average amount $5,180
Students taking out private loans 12.0%
Average amount $5,903
2.0%
Average amount $8,080

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,748
Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students N/A 21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 91.5% N/A
International students 19.4% 23.9%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 1,450 12,874
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Physical Science
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 7:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.9% 96.7%
Dropout rate 12.9% 2.0%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,661
  • Year 2: $52,941
  • Year 3: $55,487
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,893
  • Year 2: $34,704
  • Year 3: $49,481
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,499
  • Year 2: $29,141
  • Year 3: $41,882
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,517
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $40,572
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $37,882
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: $37,613
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,718
  • Year 2: $19,227
  • Year 3: $29,237
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,140
  • Year 3: $28,680
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,658
  • Year 2: $91,744
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,239
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375

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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