Carleton College vs Franklin and Marshall College (FandM)

Carleton College and Franklin and Marshall College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 18.5%, while Franklin and Marshall, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 28.6%. Carleton's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population compared to Franklin and Marshall's 6%. Both colleges excel in academics, with Carleton's popular majors including economics, biology, and political science, while Franklin and Marshall's strengths lie in business, economics, and government. With graduation rates of 93% and 88% respectively, both institutions ensure that their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Franklin and Marshall College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	37.5%
Application fees		$60
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	7,720
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	510
Yield rate	40.0%	17.6%
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	$80,618
Average net price	$31,718	$26,316
Tuition	$59,850	$63,216
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,722 Meal plan: $6,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	62.0% Average amount $50,026
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	53.0% Average amount $4,947
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	7.0% Average amount $16,505

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,145 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,272
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 Physical Science Ethnic Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	82.8%
Dropout rate	8.3%	2.0%
Transferred out	N/A	13.8%
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 (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,518 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $67,095 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,376 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,284 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,518 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,220 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $50,175 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,598 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $49,088 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,421 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $48,325 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $44,196 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,487 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $42,722 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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