Quad

Head-to-head

Anderson
Gustavus Adolphus

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Gustavus Adolphus grads earn $23.5K more ten years out than Anderson's ($65,607 vs. $42,101)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Anderson's yield is 17 pts higher than Gustavus Adolphus's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    Gustavus Adolphus graduates 15 pts more of its students than Anderson (77% vs. 62%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Gustavus Adolphus's grants cover 61% of its full price on average, vs. 50% at Anderson

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Anderson has 11 pts more first-gen students than Gustavus Adolphus (25% vs. 15%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Anderson has 1.7× as many undergrads as Gustavus Adolphus

    Undergrads

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

Anderson admits 55%, Gustavus Adolphus 61%; Anderson's yield is higher, at 33%.

Acceptance rate
Anderson55%
Gustavus Adolphus61%
Quad's selectivity
  • AndersonSelective
  • Gustavus AdolphusSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
Anderson
1100–1280
Gustavus AdolphusNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • AndersonGPA and school record required
  • Gustavus AdolphusRigor and GPA very important52%

Who's on each campus

Anderson has 1.7× as many undergrads as Gustavus Adolphus; both have the same Pell share, 21%.

Undergrads
Anderson3.2K
Gustavus Adolphus1.9K
Pell Grant share
Anderson21%
Gustavus Adolphus21%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Anderson, and Biology/Biological Sciences at Gustavus Adolphus.

Students per faculty member
Anderson13 to 1
Gustavus Adolphus12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • AndersonRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse10%
  • Gustavus AdolphusBiology/Biological Sciences, General9%

What each costs

Anderson and Gustavus Adolphus cost about the same a year on average; Gustavus Adolphus's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Anderson$25.6K
Gustavus Adolphus$26.2K
Aid generosity
Anderson50%
Gustavus Adolphus61%

What each pays off

Gustavus Adolphus's former students earn more, a median $65.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Anderson$42.1K
Gustavus Adolphus$65.6K
Graduation rate
Anderson62%
Gustavus Adolphus77%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Anderson but held steady at Gustavus Adolphus; Anderson got more selective while Gustavus Adolphus held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • AndersonGrowing+112%
  • Gustavus AdolphusSteady+2%
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 2018;Gustavus Adolphus College Common Data Set 2022–23, Fall 2022About 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