Vassar College vs Principia College

Vassar College and Principia College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Vassar, a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on the arts and humanities. Principia, a private Christian college in Elsah, Illinois, emphasizes spiritual growth and service to others. With acceptance rates of 29% and 75%, respectively, these colleges cater to different applicant pools. While Vassar students pursue popular majors like Political Science, Economics, and English, Principia students often choose majors such as Business Administration, Elementary Education, and Psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Principia College	Vassar College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Poughkeepsie, New York
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	20.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1028 - 1193	1420 - 1540
ACT range	21 - 28	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	138	10,884
Total number of admissions given out	116	2,193
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	679
Yield rate	68.1%	31.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$42,820	$81,330
Average net price	$19,816	$27,249
Tuition	$29,970	$61,940
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	$15,710
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	57.0% Average amount $49,162
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	46.0% Average amount $3,729
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	4.0% Average amount $14,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	2,516 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	92.7%	N/A
International students	24.3%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	585	2,448
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	92.5%
Dropout rate	14.1%	5.6%
Transferred out	N/A	2.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,930 Year 2: $69,535 Year 3: $93,622 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,665 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,026 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,871 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $59,758 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,233 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,366 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,929 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $43,616 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,086 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,522 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $38,666 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,708 Year 3: $38,274 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,008 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $36,733 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,175 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $35,465

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