St Olaf College vs Carthage College

St. Olaf College and Carthage College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Olaf, nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (64%) compared to Carthage's 60%. St. Olaf students predominantly pursue majors in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities, while Carthage students often choose business, education, and health professions. St. Olaf's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 10% of the population, while Carthage's international student population is 3%. St. Olaf also boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (83%) compared to Carthage's 79%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carthage College	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Kenosha, Wisconsin	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	73.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.7%	47.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	980 - 1200	1240 - 1430
ACT range	20 - 27	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	20.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	8,639	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	6,539	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	763	755
Yield rate	11.7%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,000	$66,570
Average net price	$26,643	$27,729
Tuition	$33,000	$52,670
Room & board	$12,400	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $18,544	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	71.0% Average amount $5,205	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $15,990	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,635 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	111 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.4%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,817	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	Education Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	85.0%
Dropout rate	32.0%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,296 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $65,252 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,636 Year 2: $52,524 Year 3: $60,729 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,987 Year 2: $49,615 Year 3: $58,626 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,342 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $57,509 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,583 Year 2: $46,357 Year 3: $54,282 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,792 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $53,964 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,906 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $46,473 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,624 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $45,143 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,848 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $43,954 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,255 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $41,675	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

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.

Carthage College

Hendrix College