Macalester College vs Pitzer College

Macalester College and Pitzer College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (57%) compared to Pitzer's 33% in Claremont, California. While Pitzer students primarily hail from California, Macalester attracts a more diverse student body, with international students comprising 15% of its population. Both colleges excel in the social sciences, but Macalester has a stronger focus on natural sciences, while Pitzer emphasizes environmental studies. With similar graduation rates hovering around 85%, both institutions ensure their students are well-prepared for their post-graduate endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Pitzer College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Claremont, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: 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	96.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	18.3%
Application fees	$40	$70
SAT range	1340 - 1515	N/A
ACT range	29 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	3,676
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	673
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	357
Yield rate	21.3%	53.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$76,357	$74,950
Average net price	$30,939	$19,153
Tuition	$60,288	$57,686
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	Room/dormitory: $11,282 Meal plan: $7,898
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	42.0% Average amount $39,399
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	24.0% Average amount $3,323
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	1.0% Average amount $14,063

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	1,168 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	13.5%	7.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,332	972
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	88.4%
Dropout rate	10.0%	11.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,150 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,378 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Macalester College vs Pitzer College

Macalester College

Pitzer College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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