Quad

Head-to-head

Beacon
St. John's

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    St. John's costs about $21.6K less per year on average than Beacon ($27,251 vs. $48,868, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    St. John's's grants cover 51% of its full price on average, vs. 31% at Beacon

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    St. John's grads earn $15.6K more ten years out than Beacon's ($44,985 vs. $29,420)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Beacon is a bit larger (506 vs. 368)

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    St. John's is more diverse (index 0.55 vs. 0.52)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    St. John's has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Beacon (27% vs. 24%)

    Pell Grant recipients

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

Beacon admits 43%, St. John's 53%; Beacon's yield is higher, at 39%.

Acceptance rate
Beacon43%
St. John's53%
Quad's selectivity
  • BeaconSelective
  • St. John'sSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
BeaconTest-blind
St. John's
1290–1460
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BeaconGPA and school record required
  • St. John'sSchool record required

Who's on each campus

Beacon is a bit larger than St. John's (506 vs. 368 undergrads); St. John's has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Beacon506
St. John's368
Pell Grant share
Beacon24%
St. John's27%

Majors and faculty

Anthrozoology leads at Beacon, and Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies at St. John's; St. John's has 8 students per faculty member to Beacon's 12.

Students per faculty member
Beacon12 to 1
St. John's8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BeaconAnthrozoology24%
  • St. John'sLiberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies100%

What each costs

St. John's costs about $21.6K less a year than Beacon on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Beacon$48.9K
St. John's$27.3K
Aid generosity
Beacon31%
St. John's51%

What each pays off

St. John's's former students earn more, a median $45K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Beacon$29.4K
St. John's$45K
Graduation rate
Beacon63%
St. John's61%

How each has changed

Applications grew at St. John's, which got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BeaconNot enough data
  • St. John'sGrowing+75%
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