Wellesley College vs Mount Holyoke College

Wellesley College and Mount Holyoke College, both esteemed liberal arts colleges for women, share a commitment to academic excellence and empowering women to make a difference in the world. However, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. Wellesley boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate, a more diverse student body, and a wider range of popular majors, including STEM fields. Mount Holyoke, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, a stronger focus on the humanities and social sciences, and a more intimate campus community. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into these differences and more, helping you determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Mount Holyoke College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	South Hadley, Massachusetts	Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.3%	16.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1300 - 1510	1400 - 1540
ACT range	31 - 35	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	24.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	3,971	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	2,077	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	608	606
Yield rate	29.3%	48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$73,438	$64,602
Average net price	$29,218	$21,862
Tuition	$56,300	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $8,260	Room/dormitory: $9,704 Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $30,351	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,906	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $4,982	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,220 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	122 Men 13.1% Women 86.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	23.1%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,171	2,211
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.0%	92.1%
Dropout rate	2.9%	7.8%
Transferred out	11.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,377 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $46,206 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,152 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,150 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,038 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,403 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,356 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $35,497 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $34,113 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,168 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $33,868 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $30,295 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $30,137 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,160 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $29,034	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $110,380 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $124,973 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,781 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,094 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $62,505 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,749 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,043 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,693 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $46,471 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,849 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $45,061 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,002 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,658 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,587 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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