St Olaf College vs Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU)

St. Olaf College and Illinois Wesleyan University, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a lower acceptance rate (33%) compared to Illinois Wesleyan's (58%) in Bloomington, Illinois. St. Olaf's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 3,000 students, while Illinois Wesleyan has a more intimate community of 2,000 undergraduates. Both institutions excel in academics, with St. Olaf's graduation rate slightly higher at 86% compared to Illinois Wesleyan's 83%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including popular majors, student demographics, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Illinois Wesleyan University	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Bloomington, Illinois	Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Small	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	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	45.2%	47.4%
Application fees
SAT range	1110 - 1310	1240 - 1430
ACT range	24 - 29	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	33.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	4,543	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	2,055	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	432	755
Yield rate	21.0%	24.5%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$67,124	$66,570
Average net price	$30,610	$27,729
Tuition	$52,308	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,584 Meal plan: $4,528	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)	100.0% Average amount $34,810	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	68.0% Average amount $5,692	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	35.0% Average amount $6,781	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,653 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.4%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,308	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	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts	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	81.1%	85.0%
Dropout rate	18.7%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,305 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $77,743 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,838 Year 2: $62,792 Year 3: $73,001 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,460 Year 2: $62,775 Year 3: $69,764 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,302 Year 2: $50,356 Year 3: $56,336 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $46,139 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,272 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $39,988 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,075 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $30,321 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A	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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