St Olaf College vs Lawrence University

St Olaf College and Lawrence University, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St Olaf, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, boasts a higher acceptance rate (58%) compared to Lawrence's selective admissions (38%). While St Olaf's student body is predominantly White (84%), Lawrence fosters a more diverse community, with 54% White students. Both colleges excel in academics, with St Olaf's popular majors leaning towards the sciences and Lawrence's strengths in the arts and humanities. St Olaf's higher graduation rate (85%) indicates its commitment to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lawrence University	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Appleton, Wisconsin	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	89.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.0%	47.4%
Application fees
SAT range	1230 - 1460	1240 - 1430
ACT range	27 - 32	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	24.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	37.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	2,907	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	2,179	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	402	755
Yield rate	18.4%	24.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$65,445	$66,570
Average net price	$24,804	$27,729
Tuition	$52,101	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,814 Meal plan: $5,370	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $39,841	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,053	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $16,464	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,483 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	73.1%	N/A
International students	12.3%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,460	2,703
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota Texas California	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences History Foreign Languages and Literatures	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	80.5%	85.0%
Dropout rate	19.0%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,035 Year 3: $51,421 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $35,410 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: $32,588 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,667 Year 3: $31,648 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $27,840 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,395 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $24,417 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $20,533 Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,113 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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