Union College vs Principia College

Union College and Principia College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Union College, located in Schenectady, New York, boasts a diverse student body with an acceptance rate of 67% and a graduation rate of 84%. Its popular majors include Engineering, Business, and Psychology. On the other hand, Principia College, nestled in Elsah, Illinois, is a private liberal arts college with a strong emphasis on Christian Science. With an acceptance rate of 86% and a graduation rate of 78%, Principia College attracts students interested in majors such as Business, Education, and Health Professions. While both colleges provide quality education, their differences in location, student demographics, and academic offerings make them suitable for different types of students. Explore the comparison table below to discover which college aligns better with your aspirations and goals.

	Principia College	Union College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Schenectady, New York
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	47.0%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1028 - 1193	1270 - 1450
ACT range	21 - 28	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	138	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	116	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	565
Yield rate	68.1%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$42,820	$77,385
Average net price	$19,816	$39,101
Tuition	$29,970	$61,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	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)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	92.7%	N/A
International students	24.3%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	585	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business	Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	84.5%
Dropout rate	14.1%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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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