Oberlin College vs Bates College

Oberlin College and Bates College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Oberlin, located in Ohio, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (33%) compared to Bates' (15%). Oberlin's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population, while Bates' international student population stands at 10%. Both colleges excel in academics, with Oberlin's popular majors including music, art history, and environmental studies, while Bates is known for its strengths in economics, biology, and psychology. Oberlin's graduation rate is slightly higher at 87%, compared to Bates' 86%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional colleges. Dive in to discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	34.3%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1338 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		22.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	864
Yield rate	43.6%	23.7%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,870	$73,914
Average net price	$26,231	$44,689
Tuition	$59,062	$59,384
Room & board	$16,658	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	93.0% Average amount $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,816	2,694
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	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	82.3%
Dropout rate	2.3%	17.3%
Transferred out	5.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Bates College

Pitzer College