Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Bennington College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Bennington College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Bennington, a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont, has a more selective admissions process with a 58% acceptance rate. MCLA's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Bennington's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with popular choices at MCLA including Business Administration, Psychology, and Criminal Justice, and popular choices at Bennington including Visual and Performing Arts, Literature, and Social Sciences. With graduation rates of 56% and 68% respectively, both institutions are committed to student success. 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

	Bennington College	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	North Adams, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	91.0%
Application fees	$85	$50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,726	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	167
Yield rate	21.6%	13.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,648	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$35,569	$14,902
Tuition	$58,848	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	769	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures English Language and Literature Public Administration and Social Service	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	58.4%
Dropout rate	7.5%	41.6%
Transferred out	24.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,354 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,127 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,867 Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: $15,066 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A Literature (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,202 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,302 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,599 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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