Quad

Head-to-head

Union
Denison

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Union grads earn $20.9K more ten years out than Denison's ($88,604 vs. $67,753)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Denison is 2.5× more selective than Union

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    Denison's yield is 10 pts higher than Union's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Union's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 44% at Denison

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Union's SAT midpoint is 45 points higher than Denison's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    Denison has 4 pts more first-gen students than Union (17% vs. 13%)

    First-generation students

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

Denison admits 17%, Union 44%; Denison's yield is higher, at 24%.

Acceptance rate
Union44%
Denison17%
Quad's selectivity
  • UnionVery selective
  • DenisonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Union
1310–1480
Denison
1270–1420
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • UnionRigor, GPA, and rank very important
  • DenisonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Denison is a bit larger than Union (2,380 vs. 2,046 undergrads); Union has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Union2K
Denison2.4K
Pell Grant share
Union14%
Denison13%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; both have 9 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Union9 to 1
Denison9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • UnionEconometrics and Quantitative Economics13%
  • DenisonEconometrics and Quantitative Economics13%

What each costs

Union costs about $2.2K less a year than Denison on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Union$44K
Denison$46.1K
Aid generosity
Union48%
Denison44%

What each pays off

Union's former students earn more, a median $88.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Union$88.6K
Denison$67.8K
Graduation rate
Union85%
Denison83%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Denison got more selective while Union held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • UnionGrowing+52%
  • DenisonGrowing+236%
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;Union College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;Union College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;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 2018;Denison University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Denison University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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