Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) vs Grinnell College

Envision yourself in the vibrant college towns of Bloomington, Illinois, or Grinnell, Iowa, home to Illinois Wesleyan University and Grinnell College, respectively. Both institutions offer a transformative educational experience, yet they possess distinct characteristics that may resonate differently with prospective students. Illinois Wesleyan, with an acceptance rate of 68%, welcomes a diverse student body, while Grinnell's highly selective admissions process results in a 22% acceptance rate. While Illinois Wesleyan students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences, Grinnell's curriculum emphasizes the natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Grinnell College	Illinois Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Bloomington, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	45.2%
Application fees
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1110 - 1310
ACT range	30 - 34	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	33.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	31.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	4,543
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	2,055
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	432
Yield rate	42.5%	21.0%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,098	$67,124
Average net price	$37,423	$30,610
Tuition	$58,156	$52,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $7,584 Meal plan: $4,528
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	100.0% Average amount $34,810
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	68.0% Average amount $5,692
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	35.0% Average amount $6,781

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	1,653 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	19.4%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,450	1,308
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	81.1%
Dropout rate	12.9%	18.7%
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	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,305 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $77,743 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,838 Year 2: $62,792 Year 3: $73,001 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,460 Year 2: $62,775 Year 3: $69,764 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,302 Year 2: $50,356 Year 3: $56,336 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $46,139 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,272 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $39,988 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,075 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $30,321 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A

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