Quad

Head-to-head

Buena Vista
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Buena Vista's grants cover 63% of its full price on average, vs. 55% at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Buena Vista has 1.6× as many undergrads as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has 6 pts more Pell recipients than Buena Vista (50% vs. 44%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  4. 4

    Buena Vista grads earn $5.3K more ten years out than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods's ($49,156 vs. $43,845)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has 4 pts more first-gen students than Buena Vista (40% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Buena Vista graduates 4 pts more of its students than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (62% vs. 58%)

    Graduation rate

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

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods admits 72%, Buena Vista 78%; both have the same yield, 21%.

Acceptance rate
Buena Vista78%
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods72%
Quad's selectivity
  • Buena VistaAccessible
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsAccessible
ACT middle 50%Axis 15–36
Buena Vista
19–26
Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Buena VistaGPA required
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Buena Vista has 1.6× as many undergrads as Saint Mary-of-the-Woods; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Buena Vista1.4K
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods853
Pell Grant share
Buena Vista44%
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods50%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at Buena Vista, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Students per faculty member
Buena Vista13 to 1
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Buena VistaElementary Education and Teaching24%
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse21%

What each costs

Buena Vista costs about $2.8K less a year than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Buena Vista$20.4K
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods$23.2K
Aid generosity
Buena Vista63%
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods55%

What each pays off

Buena Vista's former students earn more, a median $49.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Buena Vista$49.2K
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods$43.8K
Graduation rate
Buena Vista62%
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods58%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Buena VistaGrowing+13%
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsGrowing+269%
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