Quad

Head-to-head

Hillsdale
Providence

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Hillsdale costs about $29.8K less per year on average than Providence ($24,283 vs. $54,092, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Hillsdale's yield is 36 pts higher than Providence's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    Hillsdale's grants cover 50% of its full price on average, vs. 33% at Providence

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Hillsdale is 2.5× more selective than Providence

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Providence has 2.7× as many undergrads as Hillsdale

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Hillsdale's SAT midpoint is 85 points higher than Providence's

    SAT midpoint

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

Hillsdale admits 21%, Providence 51%; Hillsdale's yield is higher, at 56%.

Acceptance rate
Hillsdale21%
Providence51%
Quad's selectivity
  • HillsdaleHighly selective
  • ProvidenceVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Hillsdale
1320–1490
Providence
1250–1390
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • HillsdaleRigor, GPA, and tests very important94%
  • ProvidenceGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Providence has 2.7× as many undergrads as Hillsdale and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Hillsdale1.6K
Providence4.2K
Pell Grant share
Hillsdale0%
Providence13%

Majors and faculty

History leads at Hillsdale, and Finance at Providence; Hillsdale has 8 students per faculty member to Providence's 11.

Students per faculty member
Hillsdale8 to 1
Providence11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • HillsdaleHistory, General11%
  • ProvidenceFinance, General17%

What each costs

Hillsdale costs about $29.8K less a year than Providence on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Hillsdale$24.3K
Providence$54.1K
Aid generosity
Hillsdale50%
Providence33%

What each pays off

Providence's former students earn a median $87.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
HillsdaleNot reported
Providence$87.1K
Graduation rate
Hillsdale86%
Providence86%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • HillsdaleGrowingsince fall 2015+71%
  • ProvidenceGrowing+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: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;Hillsdale College Common Data Set 2018–19, Fall 2018;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