St Olaf College vs Wesleyan University

St Olaf College and Wesleyan University, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St Olaf, a Christian college in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a 49% acceptance rate, while Wesleyan, a secular university in Middletown, Connecticut, has a more selective 15% acceptance rate. St Olaf's student body is predominantly white (84%) and female (56%), while Wesleyan's student body is more diverse, with 53% white students and a 50-50 gender ratio. Both colleges offer a wide range of majors, with popular choices at St Olaf including biology, economics, and music, and popular choices at Wesleyan including government, economics, and psychology. St Olaf's four-year graduation rate is 83%, while Wesleyan's is slightly higher at 87%. To help you make an informed decision about which college is the right fit for you, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into
St Olaf College logo

St Olaf College

Wesleyan University logo

Wesleyan University

Overview

Location Northfield, Minnesota Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting Town: Distant City: Small
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 95.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Evangelical

Admission

Acceptance rate 47.4% 19.4%
Application fees $55
SAT range 1240 - 1430 1300 - 1510
ACT range 28 - 33 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 16.0% 51.0%
Students submitting ACT score 39.0% 27.0%
Total number of applicants 6,494 13,067
Total number of admissions given out 3,080 2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll 755 910
Yield rate 24.5% 35.8%
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 Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $66,570 $82,245
Average net price $27,729 $20,535
Tuition $52,670 $61,449
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,720

Meal plan: $6,280
$17,531
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $37,281
40.0%
Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan 49.0%
Average amount $5,006
18.0%
Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans 9.0%
Average amount $15,087
2.0%
Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,988
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
3,385
Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students N/A 196
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 90.3%
International students 10.2% 11.3%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,703 3,063
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 Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 85.0% 91.0%
Dropout rate 3.9% 3.6%
Transferred out 11.0% 5.3%
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
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $53,775
  • Year 3: $53,847
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,232
  • Year 2: $36,334
  • Year 3: $45,541

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