Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Dean College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Dean College are two distinct institutions offering unique educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to Dean College's (75%), a private college. MCLA's student body is more diverse, with a larger population of international students and a higher percentage of students receiving financial aid. Dean College, on the other hand, has a smaller student body and a higher graduation rate (70% vs. 58%). Both colleges offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Psychology, but MCLA has a wider selection of programs, including unique offerings like Environmental Science and Public Health. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two institutions and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Dean College	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Franklin, Massachusetts	North Adams, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.6%	91.0%
Application fees		$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	4,924	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	3,624	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	325	167
Yield rate	9.0%	13.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,821	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$35,827	$14,902
Tuition	$42,146	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,426 Meal plan: $6,664	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)	93.0% Average amount $24,205	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,416	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	21.0% Average amount $16,818	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,206 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	N/A	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.2%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,001	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New York Rhode Island New Hampshire	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Education	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.7%	58.4%
Dropout rate	12.7%	41.6%
Transferred out	38.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,404 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $46,434 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,538 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $32,120 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $29,714 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,845 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $22,226 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,351 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,179 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,516 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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