Quad

Head-to-head

Blackburn
Cottey

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Cottey graduates 19 pts more of its students than Blackburn (61% vs. 42%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Blackburn has 13 pts more first-gen students than Cottey (44% vs. 31%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Cottey's grants cover 62% of its full price on average, vs. 50% at Blackburn

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Blackburn grads earn $11.4K more ten years out than Cottey's ($46,802 vs. $35,422)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Blackburn has 1.9× as many undergrads as Cottey

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Cottey is more diverse (index 0.49 vs. 0.41)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Blackburn admits 63%, Cottey 69%; Blackburn's yield is higher, at 26%.

Acceptance rate
Blackburn63%
Cottey69%
Quad's selectivity
  • BlackburnAccessible
  • CotteyAccessible
SAT middle 50%
BlackburnTest-blind
CotteyTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BlackburnGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • CotteyGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Blackburn has 1.9× as many undergrads as Cottey and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Blackburn471
Cottey254
Pell Grant share
Blackburn50%
Cottey46%

Majors and faculty

Early Childhood Education and Teaching leads at Blackburn, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Cottey; Cottey has 6 students per faculty member to Blackburn's 11.

Students per faculty member
Blackburn11 to 1
Cottey6 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BlackburnEarly Childhood Education and Teaching26%
  • CotteyResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other16%

What each costs

Cottey costs about $4.5K less a year than Blackburn on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Blackburn$19.6K
Cottey$15.1K
Aid generosity
Blackburn50%
Cottey62%

What each pays off

Blackburn's former students earn more, a median $46.8K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 61% at Cottey to 42% at Blackburn.

Median earnings, 10 years
Blackburn$46.8K
Cottey$35.4K
Graduation rate
Blackburn42%
Cottey61%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; selectivity held steady at both.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BlackburnGrowing+15%
  • CotteyGrowing+43%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why