When you want to apply to colleges, you will be privileged to select a first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. By doing this, you have already made a decision, but for those who don’t have an idea Of what college to choose from some criteria will be required for you to determine which college is best for you between Carleton college or St Olaf college. Let us start with a pep talk, both colleges are excellent choices and you will not go wrong with either, but ultimately, which is best for you, will depend on what you are looking for. This is why this article will help you define your choice between both colleges.
Carleton college or St Olaf college
Carleton college is another school known as a private liberal arts college located in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1866 when the Minnesota conference of congregational churches accepted to establish a college at Northfield. The school graduated its first college students in 1874, and since then, they have grown to have 34 different majors and 39 minor courses that are accredited by the higher learning commission. The school is not founded on its own, hence, it has a few academic affiliations which are NAICU, ACM, Annapolis group, Oberlin group, CLAC, and space grant.
St Olaf College is also one of the few schools regarded as a private liberal arts college also located in the same environment as Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. The institution was established in 1874 but this time around, it was founded by the Norwegians America Pastors and farmers which are led by Bernt Julius Muus because of its been established Pastors. The school has a religious affiliation with Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and thus, offers 41 different majors for the bachelor of arts degree, 5 for the bachelor of music degree, and 20 other areas of academic concentration.
Carleton and St Olaf college have something in common, which is their location, they are both located in a distant town in Minnesota this doesn’t end there, they are both regarded as private liberal arts institutions. These few things are not enough for you to decide which school has what you are looking for, you need to determine their differences.
Differences between Carleton and St Olaf college
How can I determine their differences, after all, both universities are located in the same area and they are both known for their excellent mode of teaching. These are questions a lot of students asked themselves, it shouldn’t be a problem though because we have a method of determining which university is best for you without wasting your precious time. Their differences are based on a few points which are, admission procedure and requirements, the school costs, financial aid, and also the school’s annual outcomes.
Annual cost
What are their tuition fees? The differences in their living cost? And some other question that contains a monetary action is very vital information in selecting which college is the best fit for you since you will not want to drown yourself in debt, which could have been avoided if you attend a less tuition fee school compared to the other schools offering the same quality of education.
1. Carleton college
The tuition fee for both in and out-of-state students is $58,698, this is considered 14.6% more expensive than attending St Olaf college. The tuition fee is not only the amount you will pay to attend college, but the annual living cost is also part of it, and for the Carleton, the room and board fee is also $15,147. This then leads us to the average net price which is $30,843, the Average grant aid that is given to students is $43,432, and the percentage of those receiving grant aid in the college is 64%, which is lesser compared to the latter college.
2. St Olaf college
An annual tuition fee of $51,450 is paid in St Olaf college and this is quite lesser compared to the former college. The annual cost students paid to attend st Olaf college (average net price) is less than the former college ($27,838) while the amount of people that receive financial aid at St Olaf is much higher at about 99%, it is been said that almost all the student’s population are granted financial aid, but the amount they receive is lesser $35,042
Admission and academic requirements for students
Apart from the location and the annual cost of living in the school, another vital piece of information that should be contemplated is their admission rate and admission standard. You can’t say you applied to a college without looking out for their standard unless you are not ready to attend college, so comparing the admission requirements of both colleges will give you validation on which one you can apply to without having to waste time unnecessarily.
1. Carleton college
Carleton admission requirements are a bit on the high side compared to the latter, and this is evident in the school cost. It is broken down into their admission standard, the acceptance rate, the GPA, SAT, or ACT requirements. The admission standard of the school is said to be elite therefore, the applicant competition is very high. The acceptance rate is 21.2% while the SAT or ACT score ranges are as follows, 3.9 (GPA), 1330 – 1520 (SAT score), and 30 – 34 for the ACT score range.
2. St Olaf college
The school admission standard is considered very high and thus leading to a low rate in their applicant’s competition. They have a higher acceptance rate of 50.8% and an average high school GPA of 3.68, their SAT score ranges from 1150 – 1390 and this is a bit lesser than Carleton college. They also have an ACT score range of 25 – 32 which shows that their overall admission requirements are lower than the former.
Conclusion
Both the colleges are schools that offer the best for their student’s education but a school will always have a preferred course that the school is known for, so, therefore, selecting a college will lead to your choice of study and this will help you determine fully which one is best fitted for you.
