Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Skidmore College

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Skidmore College stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college, boasts an acceptance rate of 88%, making it a more accessible option for students. Skidmore College, a private liberal arts college, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 34%. Both colleges offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at MCLA including Business Administration, Psychology, and Criminal Justice, while Skidmore College is known for its strengths in the liberal arts, with popular majors such as English, Psychology, and Economics. While MCLA's student body is predominantly composed of Massachusetts residents, Skidmore College attracts a more diverse student population from across the country and around the world. With graduation rates of 58% and 86% respectively, both colleges demonstrate a commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision about your higher

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Skidmore College
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Saratoga Springs, New York
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	30.6%
Application fees	$50	$65
SAT range	N/A	1270 - 1440
ACT range	N/A	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,371	11,176
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	3,419
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	719
Yield rate	13.4%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	$68,266
Average net price	$14,902	$31,553
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	$59,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	Room/dormitory: $9,500 Meal plan: $6,568
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $8,496	59.0% Average amount $43,391
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	39.0% Average amount $4,879
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	4.0% Average amount $26,954

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,686 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	68.4%
International students	N/A	9.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,020	2,188
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island	New York Mississippi Connecticut New Jersey California

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Education Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	83.6%
Dropout rate	41.6%	3.5%
Transferred out	N/A	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,572 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $67,188 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,235 Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $56,001 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $43,062 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,416 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $40,557 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,722 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $39,834 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,677 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $37,589 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,585 Year 2: $20,682 Year 3: $30,907 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,359 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,085 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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