Quad

Head-to-head

Mount Holyoke
Macalester

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Mount Holyoke's yield is 9 pts higher than Macalester's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Mount Holyoke has 6 pts more first-gen students than Macalester (19% vs. 13%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Macalester grads earn $5.5K more ten years out than Mount Holyoke's ($63,878 vs. $58,418)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Macalester graduates 5 pts more of its students than Mount Holyoke (89% vs. 84%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Mount Holyoke has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Macalester (22% vs. 17%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Macalester admits 29% vs. 38% at Mount Holyoke

    Acceptance 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

Who's hardest to get into

Macalester admits 29%, Mount Holyoke 38%; Mount Holyoke's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Mount Holyoke38%
Macalester29%
Quad's selectivity
  • Mount HolyokeVery selective
  • MacalesterVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Mount Holyoke
1380–1530
Macalester
1350–1510
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Mount HolyokeSchool record and prep program required
  • MacalesterSchool record required

Who's on each campus

Mount Holyoke and Macalester are about the same size; Mount Holyoke has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mount Holyoke2.2K
Macalester2.1K
Pell Grant share
Mount Holyoke22%
Macalester17%

Majors and faculty

English Language and Literature leads at Mount Holyoke, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Macalester.

Students per faculty member
Mount Holyoke9 to 1
Macalester10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Mount HolyokeEnglish Language and Literature, General8%
  • MacalesterResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

Mount Holyoke costs about $1.2K less a year than Macalester on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mount Holyoke$44.4K
Macalester$45.7K
Aid generosity
Mount Holyoke48%
Macalester45%

What each pays off

Macalester's former students earn more, a median $63.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mount Holyoke$58.4K
Macalester$63.9K
Graduation rate
Mount Holyoke84%
Macalester89%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Mount HolyokeGrowing+63%
  • MacalesterGrowing+39%
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:Mount Holyoke College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;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