Smith College vs Claremont McKenna College

Smith College and Claremont McKenna College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Smith, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, boasts a 44% acceptance rate and a student body of over 2,600 undergraduates. Claremont McKenna, a liberal arts college in Claremont, California, has a more selective admissions process with a 13% acceptance rate and a smaller undergraduate population of around 1,300. While both colleges excel in the liberal arts, Smith is known for its strengths in social sciences and humanities, while Claremont McKenna emphasizes economics, government, and public affairs. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.
Claremont McKenna College logo

Claremont McKenna College

Smith College logo

Smith College

Overview

Location Claremont, California Northampton, Massachusetts
Campus setting Suburb: 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 and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 95.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 11.2% 29.9%
Application fees $70 $60
SAT range 1420 - 1530 1370 - 1530
ACT range 32 - 35 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 28.0% 34.0%
Students submitting ACT score 25.0% 20.0%
Total number of applicants 5,632 6,064
Total number of admissions given out 633 1,814
Admitted students who chose to enroll 358 676
Yield rate 56.6% 37.3%
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) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,347 $68,128
Average net price $21,663 $29,569
Tuition $57,876 $55,830
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,626

Meal plan: $8,280
Room/dormitory: $9,700

Meal plan: $9,720
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $33,141
70.0%
Average amount $44,108
Students receiving federal student loan 17.0%
Average amount $3,535
35.0%
Average amount $3,560
Students taking out private loans 22.0%
Average amount $7,870
5.0%
Average amount $8,280

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,416
Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
2,566
Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students 6
Men 66.7% Women 33.3%
358
Men 16.2% Women 83.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 52.1% N/A
International students 15.5% 13.4%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,354 2,519
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California New York Washington Texas Colorado Mississippi New York California Connecticut Maryland

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 92.7% 91.0%
Dropout rate 7.3% 3.6%
Transferred out N/A 5.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,566
  • Year 2: $87,754
  • Year 3: $91,488
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $41,025
  • Year 3: N/A
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $100,075
  • Year 3: N/A
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,496
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $70,990
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,650
  • Year 3: $56,651
Social Work (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,011
  • Year 2: $45,554
  • Year 3: $53,962
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $46,620
  • Year 3: $53,886
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,098
  • Year 2: $43,798
  • Year 3: $48,619
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,776
  • Year 2: $39,153
  • Year 3: $43,120
Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $31,839
  • Year 3: $41,147
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,006
  • Year 2: $18,566
  • Year 3: $41,145
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,954
  • Year 2: $28,019
  • Year 3: $40,411
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,603
  • Year 3: $38,497

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