Carleton College vs Sarah Lawrence College

Carleton College and Sarah Lawrence College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a lower acceptance rate (22.5%) compared to Sarah Lawrence's (55.4%) in Bronxville, New York. Carleton's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 2,100 students, while Sarah Lawrence fosters a more intimate learning environment with approximately 1,400 undergraduates. While Carleton students predominantly pursue majors in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, Sarah Lawrence students often explore interdisciplinary programs such as writing, dance, and theater. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Carleton's at 89% and Sarah Lawrence's at 86%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions.

	Carleton College	Sarah Lawrence College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Bronxville, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	58.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1260 - 1470
ACT range	31 - 35	29 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	4,452
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	2,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	438
Yield rate	40.0%	16.8%
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	$77,228
Average net price	$31,718	$34,091
Tuition	$59,850	$58,936
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $10,774 Meal plan: $5,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	90.0% Average amount $36,103
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	48.0% Average amount $5,321
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	5.0% Average amount $18,443

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,529 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Graduate students	N/A	237 Men 16.5% Women 83.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,854	1,075
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	Liberal Arts Health Professions English Language and Literature Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	76.5%
Dropout rate	8.3%	14.2%
Transferred out	N/A	9.1%
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	Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,795 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $79,341 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,995 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,788 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,028 Year 2: $21,873 Year 3: $29,006 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $26,708 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,966 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

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Carleton College vs Sarah Lawrence College

Carleton College

Sarah Lawrence College

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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