St Olaf College vs Swarthmore

St Olaf College and Swarthmore College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St Olaf, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, emphasizes a holistic approach to learning, while Swarthmore, known for its Quaker heritage, fosters a collaborative and intellectually rigorous environment. With acceptance rates of 49% and 10%, respectively, these colleges attract academically talented students. St Olaf's student body is predominantly White (83%) and female (56%), while Swarthmore's is more diverse, with a larger international student population (13%) and a more balanced gender ratio (51% female). Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with St Olaf at 86% and Swarthmore at 94%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' academic offerings, campus life, and post-graduate outcomes, and make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and values.

	St Olaf College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.4%	7.8%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1240 - 1430	1430 - 1560
ACT range	28 - 33	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	6,494	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	3,080	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	755	454
Yield rate	24.5%	44.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$66,570	$75,793
Average net price	$27,729	$19,733
Tuition	$52,670	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $37,281	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,006	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $15,087	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	89.9%
International students	10.2%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,703	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.0%	94.1%
Dropout rate	3.9%	5.7%
Transferred out	11.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $97,897 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $113,966 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,029 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $88,391 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,119 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,841 Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $42,944 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $36,220 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,963 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,964 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A

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St Olaf College vs Swarthmore

St Olaf College

Swarthmore College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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