Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    St Olaf's yield is 16 pts higher than Clark's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    St Olaf's grants cover 63% of its full price on average, vs. 50% at Clark

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    St Olaf costs about $7.5K less per year on average than Clark ($26,936 vs. $34,473, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    St Olaf graduates 8 pts more of its students than Clark (85% vs. 77%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Clark is more diverse (index 0.58 vs. 0.53)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    St Olaf is a bit larger (3,093 vs. 2,214)

    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

Who's hardest to get into

Clark admits 40%, St Olaf 48%; St Olaf's yield is higher, at 27%.

Acceptance rate
Clark40%
St Olaf48%
Quad's selectivity
  • ClarkVery selective
  • St OlafVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Clark
1288–1460
St Olaf
1300–1470
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ClarkGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • St OlafGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

St Olaf is a bit larger than Clark (3,093 vs. 2,214 undergrads); Clark has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Clark2.2K
St Olaf3.1K
Pell Grant share
Clark23%
St Olaf21%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Clark, and Biology/Biological Sciences at St Olaf; Clark has 8 students per faculty member to St Olaf's 11.

Students per faculty member
Clark8 to 1
St Olaf11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ClarkPsychology, General16%
  • St OlafBiology/Biological Sciences, General10%

What each costs

St Olaf costs about $7.5K less a year than Clark on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Clark$34.5K
St Olaf$26.9K
Aid generosity
Clark50%
St Olaf63%

What each pays off

St Olaf's former students earn more, a median $65.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Clark$62.4K
St Olaf$65.5K
Graduation rate
Clark77%
St Olaf85%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Clark got more selective while St Olaf held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ClarkGrowing+57%
  • St OlafGrowing+36%
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

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