Willamette University vs Carleton College

Willamette University and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Willamette, nestled in Salem, Oregon, boasts an acceptance rate of 65%, while Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, is more selective with an acceptance rate of 22%. Willamette's student body is more diverse, with 43% students of color compared to Carleton's 38%. Both institutions excel in academics, with Willamette's popular majors including Business, Psychology, and Biology, and Carleton's strengths lying in Economics, Political Science, and English. While Willamette has a slightly higher graduation rate of 83% compared to Carleton's 81%, both universities prepare their graduates for success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Willamette University
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Salem, Oregon
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	79.6%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	31 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	3,680
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,930
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	260
Yield rate	40.0%	8.9%
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	$78,315	$60,106
Average net price	$31,718	$37,400
Tuition	$59,850	$43,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $7,150 Meal plan: $6,650
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	99.0% Average amount $30,413
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	50.0% Average amount $5,145
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	7.0% Average amount $15,973

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,236 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	549 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,854	1,228
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Legal Profession Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	72.0%
Dropout rate	8.3%	28.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,562 Year 2: $73,530 Year 3: $85,115 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,741 Year 2: $49,102 Year 3: $65,240 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,509 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $57,544 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,011 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $48,905 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,615 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $41,516 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,482 Year 2: $27,204 Year 3: $39,994 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,357 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $36,208 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $33,257 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,292 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,785 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $29,070

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Willamette University vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Willamette University

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