Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

1. 1

   Stanford grads earn $21.6K more ten years out than Columbia's ($124,080 vs. $102,491)

   Median earnings, 10 yrs
2. 2

   Stanford's yield is 21 pts higher than Columbia's

   Yield rate
3. 3

   Stanford costs about $5K less per year on average than Columbia ($49,604 vs. $54,653, all students)

   Average cost, all students
4. 4

   Stanford has 5 pts more first-gen students than Columbia (30% vs. 25%)

   First-generation students
5. 5

   Stanford admits 3.6% vs. 4.9% at Columbia

   Acceptance rate
6. 6

   Stanford's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 39% at Columbia

   Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.