Wellesley College vs Principia College

Wellesley College and Principia College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wellesley, a private women's college in Massachusetts, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 22%, while Principia, a private liberal arts college in Illinois, maintains a more accessible acceptance rate of 75%. Wellesley's student body is predominantly female, while Principia's is more evenly balanced between genders. Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with Wellesley excelling in social sciences and Principia excelling in business and engineering. Wellesley's graduation rate stands at an impressive 89%, while Principia's is slightly lower at 78%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Principia College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	16.2%
Application fees
SAT range	1028 - 1193	1400 - 1540
ACT range	21 - 28	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	138	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	116	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	606
Yield rate	68.1%	48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,820	$64,602
Average net price	$19,816	$21,862
Tuition	$29,970	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	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)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	92.7%	N/A
International students	24.3%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	585	2,211
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	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	92.1%
Dropout rate	14.1%	7.8%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	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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