Mount Holyoke College vs Macalester College

Mount Holyoke College and Macalester College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Mount Holyoke, a women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, boasts a 34% acceptance rate and a student body predominantly composed of female students. Macalester, a coeducational college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 38% and a more diverse student body. While Mount Holyoke excels in social sciences and psychology, Macalester shines in natural sciences and economics. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Mount Holyoke at 86% and Macalester at 84%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Macalester College logo

Macalester College

Mount Holyoke College logo

Mount Holyoke College

Overview

Location Saint Paul, Minnesota South Hadley, Massachusetts
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate 96.0% 91.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation Presbyterian

Admission

Acceptance rate 31.3% 52.3%
Application fees $40
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1340 - 1515 1300 - 1510
ACT range 29 - 33 31 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 35.0% 24.0%
Students submitting ACT score 39.0% 11.0%
Total number of applicants 9,046 3,971
Total number of admissions given out 2,828 2,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll 601 608
Yield rate 21.3% 29.3%
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 $76,357 $73,438
Average net price $30,939 $29,218
Tuition $60,288 $56,300
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,272

Meal plan: $6,270
Room/dormitory: $8,320

Meal plan: $8,260
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

87.0%
Average amount $42,832
100.0%
Average amount $30,351
Students receiving federal student loan 39.0%
Average amount $4,799
42.0%
Average amount $4,906
Students taking out private loans 29.0%
Average amount $4,321
7.0%
Average amount $4,982

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,244
Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
2,220
Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students N/A 122
Men 13.1% Women 86.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 13.5% 23.1%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,332 2,171
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida

Academics

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

Outcome

Graduation rate 89.7% 85.0%
Dropout rate 10.0% 2.9%
Transferred out N/A 11.9%
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
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,377
  • Year 2: $45,696
  • Year 3: $46,206
Education, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,986
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $46,152
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,150
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $44,038
Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $32,925
  • Year 3: $37,403
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,356
  • Year 2: $36,852
  • Year 3: $35,497
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $34,113
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,168
  • Year 2: $30,409
  • Year 3: $33,868
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $30,295
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $24,035
  • Year 3: $30,137
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,160
  • Year 2: $28,598
  • Year 3: $29,034

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