St Olaf College vs Calvin University

St. Olaf College and Calvin University, both rooted in strong Christian traditions, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (63%) compared to Calvin's 79%. St. Olaf students pursue diverse interests, with popular majors including music, biology, and economics, while Calvin students often focus on business, engineering, and nursing. St. Olaf's student body is slightly larger and more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students. Calvin, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate (84% vs. 82%). Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Calvin University	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Grand Rapids, Michigan	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	47.4%
Application fees	$35
SAT range	1120 - 1340	1240 - 1430
ACT range	24 - 30	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	61.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	24.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	3,986	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	2,992	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	736	755
Yield rate	24.6%	24.5%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,840	$66,570
Average net price	$27,120	$27,729
Tuition	$37,990	$52,670
Room & board	$10,800	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $24,410	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,987	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $16,620	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,068 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	189 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	11.7%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,453	2,703
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	Health Professions Business Education Engineering Theology	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	77.3%	85.0%
Dropout rate	7.6%	3.9%
Transferred out	14.7%	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,594 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $73,154 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,088 Year 2: $65,188 Year 3: $71,772 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,940 Year 2: $57,564 Year 3: $62,400 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,498 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $60,645 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,593 Year 2: $45,980 Year 3: $53,866 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,275 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $51,938 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,034 Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: $44,640 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,528 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,008 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,756 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,976 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,469 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,953	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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