Oberlin College vs Carleton College

Oberlin College and Carleton College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Oberlin, located in Ohio, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (33%) compared to Carleton's (27%). While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, their popular majors diverge. Oberlin emphasizes social sciences and interdisciplinary studies, while Carleton leans towards natural sciences and mathematics. Carleton's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of around 2,100 compared to Oberlin's 2,800. Both colleges foster diverse communities, with international students comprising 13% of Oberlin's student body and 11% of Carleton's. Oberlin's graduation rate stands at 86%, while Carleton's is slightly higher at 88%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive in to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations

	Carleton College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	34.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1338 - 1460
ACT range	31 - 35	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	864
Yield rate	40.0%	23.7%
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	$78,315	$73,914
Average net price	$31,718	$44,689
Tuition	$59,850	$59,384
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	93.0% Average amount $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,694
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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	82.3%
Dropout rate	8.3%	17.3%
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: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Oberlin College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Oberlin College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About