Hampshire College vs California Institute of the Arts

Hampshire College and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) stand out as two unique and prestigious institutions offering distinctive educational experiences. Hampshire, a liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while CalArts, a private arts university in Valencia, California, maintains a slightly higher acceptance rate of 49%. Both institutions foster diverse student bodies, with Hampshire's student population comprising 48% female and 52% male students, and CalArts' student body consisting of 53% female and 47% male students. While Hampshire excels in social sciences and interdisciplinary studies, CalArts shines in the realm of performing and visual arts. With graduation rates of 79% and 73% respectively, both colleges ensure that their students receive the necessary support to succeed academically and professionally. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that del

	California Institute of the Arts	Hampshire College
Overview
Location	Valencia, California	Amherst, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	72.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	29.0%	75.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	2,364	1,340
Total number of admissions given out	685	1,007
Admitted students who chose to enroll	203	133
Yield rate	29.6%	13.2%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,792	$66,658
Average net price	$53,916	$30,168
Tuition	$52,850	$51,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,040 Meal plan: $5,095	Room/dormitory: $8,520 Meal plan: $5,912
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $18,119	100.0% Average amount $36,653
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,615	64.0% Average amount $4,793
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,000	1.0% Average amount $8,793

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	965 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	472 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Graduate students	479 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	29.0%	6.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	441	1,180
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies	Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.9%	62.4%
Dropout rate	28.1%	37.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $24,469 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $36,735 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $14,239 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $29,527 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,030 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,555 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $28,984 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,629 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,791 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,992 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,579 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $15,918 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $21,662 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $21,635 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,773 Year 2: $15,182 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: N/A	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,720 Year 2: $19,829 Year 3: $23,704

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