Quad

Head-to-head

Chatham
Alma

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Alma's grants cover 65% of its full price on average, vs. 49% at Chatham

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Alma costs about $9.2K less per year on average than Chatham ($22,322 vs. $31,539, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Chatham has 6 pts more first-gen students than Alma (30% vs. 24%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Chatham graduates 6 pts more of its students than Alma (69% vs. 63%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Alma has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Chatham (27% vs. 22%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Chatham's yield is 3 pts higher than Alma's

    Yield 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

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Alma admits 57%, Chatham 62%; Chatham's yield is higher, at 13%.

Acceptance rate
Chatham62%
Alma57%
Quad's selectivity
  • ChathamSelective
  • AlmaSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
Chatham
1070–1295
AlmaTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ChathamGPA and school record required
  • AlmaGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Chatham and Alma are about the same size; Alma has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Chatham1.2K
Alma1.1K
Pell Grant share
Chatham22%
Alma27%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at Chatham, and Business Administration and Management at Alma; Chatham has 10 students per faculty member to Alma's 14.

Students per faculty member
Chatham10 to 1
Alma14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ChathamBiology/Biological Sciences, General12%
  • AlmaBusiness Administration and Management, General15%

What each costs

Alma costs about $9.2K less a year than Chatham on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Chatham$31.5K
Alma$22.3K
Aid generosity
Chatham49%
Alma65%

What each pays off

Alma's former students earn more, a median $54.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Chatham$52.4K
Alma$54.7K
Graduation rate
Chatham69%
Alma63%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Alma got more selective while Chatham got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ChathamGrowing+450%
  • AlmaGrowing+123%
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;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