Quad

Head-to-head

Southwestern
Converse

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Southwestern grads earn $14.8K more ten years out than Converse's ($55,646 vs. $40,867)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Converse graduates 12 pts more of its students than Southwestern (59% vs. 47%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Converse costs about $6.9K less per year on average than Southwestern ($23,312 vs. $30,259, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Southwestern has 8 pts more first-gen students than Converse (40% vs. 32%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Southwestern's yield is 7 pts higher than Converse's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Southwestern's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 43% at Converse

    Aid generosity

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

Converse admits 68%, Southwestern 76%; Southwestern's yield is higher, at 19%.

Acceptance rate
Southwestern76%
Converse68%
Quad's selectivity
  • SouthwesternOpen
  • ConverseAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
SouthwesternTest-blind
Converse
1010–1250
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • SouthwesternGPA and school record required
  • ConverseGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Converse is a bit larger than Southwestern (1,173 vs. 924 undergrads); Southwestern has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Southwestern924
Converse1.2K
Pell Grant share
Southwestern41%
Converse40%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at both; Southwestern has 10 students per faculty member to Converse's 12.

Students per faculty member
Southwestern10 to 1
Converse12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • SouthwesternBusiness Administration and Management, General14%
  • ConverseBusiness Administration and Management, General16%

What each costs

Converse costs about $6.9K less a year than Southwestern on average; Southwestern's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Southwestern$30.3K
Converse$23.3K
Aid generosity
Southwestern48%
Converse43%

What each pays off

Southwestern's former students earn more, a median $55.6K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 59% at Converse to 47% at Southwestern.

Median earnings, 10 years
Southwestern$55.6K
Converse$40.9K
Graduation rate
Southwestern47%
Converse59%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Southwestern got more selective while Converse got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • SouthwesternGrowing+231%
  • ConverseGrowing+77%
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