Macalester College vs Bennington College

Macalester College and Bennington College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (60%) compared to Bennington's selective 35%. Macalester's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 15% of the population, while Bennington's student body is predominantly female (68%). In terms of academics, Macalester offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like Economics and Political Science, while Bennington emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and the arts. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Macalester's at 84% and Bennington's at 79%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	31.3%
Application fees	$85	$40
SAT range	N/A	1340 - 1515
ACT range	N/A	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		35.0%
Students submitting ACT score		39.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	601
Yield rate	21.6%	21.3%
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	$80,648	$76,357
Average net price	$35,569	$30,939
Tuition	$58,848	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	769	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures English Language and Literature Public Administration and Social Service	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	89.7%
Dropout rate	7.5%	10.0%
Transferred out	24.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,354 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,127 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,867 Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: $15,066 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A Literature (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,202 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,302 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,599 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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