Quad

Head-to-head

Briar Cliff
Defiance

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Briar Cliff costs about $5.2K less per year on average than Defiance ($23,417 vs. $28,575, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Briar Cliff's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 48% at Defiance

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Briar Cliff graduates 6 pts more of its students than Defiance (54% vs. 48%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Briar Cliff grads earn $5.1K more ten years out than Defiance's ($54,475 vs. $49,351)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Briar Cliff has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Defiance (53% vs. 50%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Briar Cliff is a bit larger (624 vs. 499)

    Undergrads

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

Defiance admits 48%; Briar Cliff doesn't report an acceptance rate.

Acceptance rate
Briar CliffNot reported
Defiance48%
Quad's selectivity
  • Briar CliffNot rated
  • DefianceAccessible
SAT middle 50%
Briar CliffNot reported
DefianceTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Briar CliffNot reported
  • DefianceGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Briar Cliff is a bit larger than Defiance (624 vs. 499 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Briar Cliff624
Defiance499
Pell Grant share
Briar Cliff53%
Defiance50%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Briar Cliff, and Social Work at Defiance; Briar Cliff has 10 students per faculty member to Defiance's 11.

Students per faculty member
Briar Cliff10 to 1
Defiance11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Briar CliffBusiness Administration and Management, General17%
  • DefianceSocial Work15%

What each costs

Briar Cliff costs about $5.2K less a year than Defiance on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Briar Cliff$23.4K
Defiance$28.6K
Aid generosity
Briar Cliff55%
Defiance48%

What each pays off

Briar Cliff's former students earn more, a median $54.5K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 54% at Briar Cliff to 48% at Defiance.

Median earnings, 10 years
Briar Cliff$54.5K
Defiance$49.4K
Graduation rate
Briar Cliff54%
Defiance48%

How each has changed

Applications held steady at Defiance, which got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Briar CliffNot reported
  • DefianceSteady+5%
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