Union College vs Bates College

Union College and Bates College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Union, located in Schenectady, New York, boasts a higher acceptance rate (33%) compared to Bates' (15%) in Lewiston, Maine. Union's student body is more diverse, with 43% students of color, while Bates' student body is predominantly white (78%). Union offers a wider range of majors, including engineering and computer science, while Bates focuses on the humanities and social sciences. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Union at 88% and Bates at 93%. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and find the college that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Union College
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Schenectady, New York
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	47.0%
Application fees	$60	$60
SAT range	N/A	1270 - 1450
ACT range	N/A	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		16.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	565
Yield rate	43.6%	16.1%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,870	$77,385
Average net price	$26,231	$39,101
Tuition	$59,062	$61,308
Room & board	$16,658	Room/dormitory: $8,370 Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,816	2,049
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	Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	84.5%
Dropout rate	2.3%	14.6%
Transferred out	5.8%	0.2%
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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,637 Year 2: $67,812 Year 3: $76,098 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,348 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $74,456 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,171 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $54,902 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,157 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $47,142 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,375 Year 2: $34,081 Year 3: $44,570 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,903 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $41,845 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,392 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A

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