Carleton College vs Wellesley College

Carleton College and Wellesley College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (23.5% vs. 21.5%) and a smaller student body (2,100 vs. 2,400), fostering a close-knit community. Wellesley, situated in Wellesley, Massachusetts, excels in STEM fields, with 40% of graduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics compared to Carleton's 30%. While both colleges have a predominantly female student body, Wellesley is exclusively women's, while Carleton is coeducational. With similar graduation rates (88% and 87%, respectively), both institutions ensure their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Wellesley, Massachusetts
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
Students retention rate	95.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	16.2%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1400 - 1540
ACT range	31 - 35	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	606
Yield rate	40.0%	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	$78,315	$64,602
Average net price	$31,718	$21,862
Tuition	$59,850	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	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)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,211
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	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	92.1%
Dropout rate	8.3%	7.8%
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	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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Carleton College vs Wellesley College

Carleton College

Wellesley College

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Outcome

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