Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Bucknell is more diverse (index 0.44 vs. 0.36)

    Diversity index
  2. 2

    Fairfield costs about $5.9K less per year on average than Bucknell ($51,728 vs. $57,601, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Bucknell's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than Fairfield's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    Bucknell has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Fairfield (12% vs. 7%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Bucknell grads earn $5K more ten years out than Fairfield's ($93,807 vs. $88,794)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Fairfield has 5 pts more first-gen students than Bucknell (17% vs. 12%)

    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

Bucknell admits 32%, Fairfield 33%; Bucknell's yield is higher, at 28%.

Acceptance rate
Bucknell32%
Fairfield33%
Quad's selectivity
  • BucknellVery selective
  • FairfieldVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Bucknell
1310–1470
Fairfield
1260–1390
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BucknellGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • FairfieldRigor and GPA very important54%

Who's on each campus

Fairfield is a bit larger than Bucknell (5,373 vs. 3,876 undergrads); Bucknell has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Bucknell3.9K
Fairfield5.4K
Pell Grant share
Bucknell12%
Fairfield7%

Majors and faculty

Economics leads at Bucknell, and Finance at Fairfield; Bucknell has 9 students per faculty member to Fairfield's 12.

Students per faculty member
Bucknell9 to 1
Fairfield12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BucknellEconomics, General9%
  • FairfieldFinance, General18%

What each costs

Fairfield costs about $5.9K less a year than Bucknell on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Bucknell$57.6K
Fairfield$51.7K
Aid generosity
Bucknell31%
Fairfield33%

What each pays off

Bucknell's former students earn more, a median $93.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Bucknell$93.8K
Fairfield$88.8K
Graduation rate
Bucknell88%
Fairfield84%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Fairfield got more selective while Bucknell held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BucknellGrowing+45%
  • FairfieldGrowing+86%
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