Principia College vs. St. Mary's College

Should I go to Principia College or Saint Mary's College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Principia College or St. Mary's College is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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Principia College vs. Saint Mary's College comparison
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Saint Mary's College
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Overview

Principia College St. Mary's College
Location Elsah, Illinois Notre Dame, IN
Setting Rural Fringe Rural Fringe
Enrollment 323 1,519
Type Private 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #162
Religious Affiliation - Roman Catholic - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website principiacollege.edu saintmarys.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Principia College St. Mary's College
Tuition (In State) $31,200 $48,880
Tuition (Out of State) $31,200 $48,880
Room & Board $12,870 $13,580
Avg Net Price $18,039 $27,960
Avg Grant Aid $27,051 $36,112
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 100%

Admission

Principia College St. Mary's College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 209 2,260
Admitted 100 1,896
Acceptance Rate 47.8% 83.9%
Enrolled % 61% 20.9%
Avg High School GPA 3.34 3.83
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Challenging Difficult
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 26/32
SAT Range 970/1300 1100/1328
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline

Academics

Principia College St. Mary's College
Student to Faculty Ratio 6:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (13%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Business (10%)
  • English and Literature (9%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)

Outcomes

Principia College St. Mary's College
Graduation Rate - 79%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) N/A $51,100
Making Student Loan Payments - 85%
Median Student Loan Debt N/A $27,000
Median Loan Payment N/A $279

Diversity

Principia College St. Mary's College
% Men 59% 1%
% Women 41% 99%
Racial Diversity - Low
HBCU No No
% White 0% 78%
% Black 0% 2%
% Hispanic 0% 11%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 0% 3%
% International 0% 1%
% Unknown Race 0% 3%

Students

Principia College St. Mary's College
% In-State 3% 35%
% Out-of-State 41% 64%

Campus

Principia College St. Mary's College
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Saint Mary's College is larger than than Principia College based on total student enrollment (1,519 students vs. 323 students)

Principia College vs. St. Mary's College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Principia College or St. Mary's College?

  • Saint Mary's College is 56.7% more expensive to attend than Principia College for in-state tuition ($48,880.00 vs. $31,200.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 56.7% higher at St. Mary's College than Principia College ($48,880.00 vs. $31,200.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Principia College than St. Mary's College ($18,039 vs. $27,960)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Principia College are 5.5% lower than costs at Saint Mary's College ($12,870 vs. $13,580)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Saint Mary's College than Principia College (100% vs. 94%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Saint Mary's College students is 33.5% larger than aid received Principia College ($36,112 vs. $27,051)

Principia College vs. St. Mary's College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Principia College or St. Mary's College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between St. Mary's College or Principia College .

  • Accepted freshman St. Mary's College students have a 0.49 point higher average high school GPA (3.83) than students at Principia College (3.34)
  • St. Mary's College has a higher acceptance rate (83.9%) than Principia College (47.8%)

Principia College vs. St. Mary's College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Principia College or St. Mary's College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between St. Mary's College and Principia College.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/