Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northwestern's yield is 15 pts higher than Saint Michael's's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Saint Michael's's grants cover 59% of its full price on average, vs. 47% at Northwestern

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Saint Michael's grads earn $11.5K more ten years out than Northwestern's ($61,317 vs. $49,802)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Saint Michael's graduates 10 pts more of its students than Northwestern (77% vs. 67%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Saint Michael's is more diverse (index 0.39 vs. 0.33)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Northwestern costs about $1.4K less per year on average than Saint Michael's ($26,763 vs. $28,140, all students)

    Average cost, all 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

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

Who's hardest to get into

Northwestern admits 80%, Saint Michael's 85%; Northwestern's yield is higher, at 27%.

Acceptance rate
Saint Michael's85%
Northwestern80%
Quad's selectivity
  • Saint Michael'sAccessible
  • NorthwesternAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
Saint Michael's
1120–1280
NorthwesternTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Saint Michael'sGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • NorthwesternGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Saint Michael's and Northwestern are about the same size; Northwestern has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Saint Michael's1.1K
Northwestern1.2K
Pell Grant share
Saint Michael's24%
Northwestern25%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at both; Saint Michael's has 10 students per faculty member to Northwestern's 15.

Students per faculty member
Saint Michael's10 to 1
Northwestern15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Saint Michael'sBusiness Administration and Management, General19%
  • NorthwesternBusiness Administration and Management, General17%

What each costs

Northwestern costs about $1.4K less a year than Saint Michael's on average; Saint Michael's's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Saint Michael's$28.1K
Northwestern$26.8K
Aid generosity
Saint Michael's59%
Northwestern47%

What each pays off

Saint Michael's's former students earn more, a median $61.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Saint Michael's$61.3K
Northwestern$49.8K
Graduation rate
Saint Michael's77%
Northwestern67%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Northwestern but fell at Saint Michael's; Saint Michael's got less selective while Northwestern held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Saint Michael'sShrinking−35%
  • NorthwesternGrowing+19%
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