Macalester College vs Connecticut College

Macalester College and Connecticut College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body with a strong international presence, while Connecticut College, situated in New London, Connecticut, is known for its beautiful coastal campus and emphasis on experiential learning. With acceptance rates of 29% and 34%, respectively, both colleges are selective in their admissions process. Macalester's popular majors include political science, economics, and environmental studies, while Connecticut College students often pursue majors in government, English, and psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Connecticut College	Macalester College
Overview
Location	New London, Connecticut	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	41.0%	31.3%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	1333 - 1476	1340 - 1515
ACT range	30 - 33	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	12.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	7,682	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	3,146	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	601
Yield rate	15.6%	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	$80,575	$76,357
Average net price	$44,820	$30,939
Tuition	$60,420	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,690 Meal plan: $7,090	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 $32,882	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,933	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $21,449	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,829 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	85.0%	N/A
International students	8.9%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,784	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Connecticut New Jersey California	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.0%	89.7%
Dropout rate	18.8%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,308 Year 2: $54,522 Year 3: $66,698 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,434 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $54,040 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,272 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,919 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $41,034 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,884 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,171 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: $37,344 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,808 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,970 Year 2: $28,881 Year 3: N/A Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,342 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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