St Olaf College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

St Olaf College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique path to academic excellence. St Olaf, a private liberal arts college nestled in Northfield, Minnesota, prides itself on its strong emphasis on the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, while MIT, a world-renowned research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is celebrated for its exceptional programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With acceptance rates of 49% and 7%, respectively, these institutions cater to different applicant pools. St Olaf's student body is predominantly White (83%) and female (56%), while MIT's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of international students (20%) and a more balanced gender ratio (48% male, 52% female). Dive into the comparison table below to explore further differences in popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors that may influence your college decision.

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	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	99.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.1%	47.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1240 - 1430
ACT range	N/A	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		16.0%
Students submitting ACT score		39.0%
Total number of applicants	33,240	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	1,365	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,177	755
Yield rate	86.2%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$58,920	$66,570
Average net price	$30,958	$27,729
Tuition	$55,510	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550	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 $32,562	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,112	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $17,891	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	29.2%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	6,280	2,703
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.2%	85.0%
Dropout rate	3.0%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672	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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