Grinnell College vs Stanford

Grinnell College and Stanford University, two esteemed 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 Stanford, a prestigious research university in California, is renowned for its academic rigor and world-class research opportunities. With acceptance rates of 18% and 5%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. Grinnell's student body is more diverse, with 54% female and 46% male students, while Stanford's is more evenly split, with 50.4% female and 49.6% male students. Popular majors at Grinnell include political science, economics, and English, while Stanford students often pursue degrees in computer science, engineering, and biology. Grinnell's graduation rate is 89%, while Stanford's is 95%. Explore the comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine
Grinnell College logo

Grinnell College

Stanford University logo

Stanford University

Overview

Location Grinnell, Iowa Stanford, California
Campus setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Quarter
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 93.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 10.5% 3.9%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $90

Graduate: $125
SAT range 1370 - 1530 1470 - 1570
ACT range 30 - 34 34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 29.0% 15.0%
Students submitting ACT score 33.0% 11.0%
Total number of applicants 10,513 55,471
Total number of admissions given out 1,108 2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll 471 1,757
Yield rate 42.5% 80.2%
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 $78,898
Average net price $37,423 $14,402
Tuition $58,156 $55,473
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,779

Meal plan: $7,572
Room/dormitory: $11,166

Meal plan: $6,694
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $35,821
61.0%
Average amount $56,211
Students receiving federal student loan 36.0%
Average amount $3,952
5.0%
Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans 12.0%
Average amount $5,903
1.0%
Average amount $17,186

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,748
Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
7,645
Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students N/A 10,035
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 91.5% 58.5%
International students 19.4% 24.4%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,450 14,621
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 California Texas Washington New York Illinois

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Physical Science
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 5:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.9% 95.5%
Dropout rate 12.9% 1.7%
Transferred out N/A 0.6%
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
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $151,574
  • Year 2: $170,457
  • Year 3: $210,837
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $159,729
  • Year 2: $168,942
  • Year 3: $203,193
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $164,734
  • Year 2: $163,337
  • Year 3: $187,054
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $137,457
  • Year 2: $150,874
  • Year 3: $173,548
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $136,126
  • Year 2: $136,499
  • Year 3: $165,375
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $128,556
  • Year 2: $135,709
  • Year 3: $157,500
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,354
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $139,234
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,326
  • Year 2: $111,435
  • Year 3: $126,185
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,457
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $107,477
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,475
  • Year 2: $85,391
  • Year 3: $104,592

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