Simpson College vs. Elms College

Simpson College vs. College of Our Lady of the Elms comparison

	Simpson College	College of Our Lady of the Elms	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Simpson College	Elms College
Location	Indianola, IA	Chicopee, MA
Setting	Distant Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	1,151	1,275
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#412	#401
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	simpson.edu	elms.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Simpson College	Elms College
Tuition (In State)	$44,202	$38,735
Tuition (Out of State)	$44,202	$38,735
Room & Board	$9,654	$14,830
Avg Net Price	$23,185	$23,498
Avg Grant Aid	$35,898	$27,109
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	98%

Admission	Simpson College	Elms College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,569	1,177
Admitted	1,398	1,070
Acceptance Rate	89.1%	90.9%
Enrolled %	21.6%	13.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.62	3.42
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27
SAT Range	890/1280	1070/1300
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	Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Simpson College	Elms College
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	10:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Education (11%) Social Sciences (8%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)	Health Professions (49%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) History (5%) General Studies (4%)
Outcomes	Simpson College	Elms College
Graduation Rate	69%	58%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$46,300
Making Student Loan Payments	77%	61%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$25,000
Median Loan Payment	$279	$258

Diversity	Simpson College	Elms College
% Men	48%	25%
% Women	52%	75%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	88%	56%
% Black	2%	7%
% Hispanic	3%	10%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	0%
% International	0%	0%
% Unknown Race	3%	24%

Students	Simpson College	Elms College
% In-State	67%	72%
% Out-of-State	32%	26%
Campus	Simpson College	Elms College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• College of Our Lady of the Elms is larger than than Simpson College based on total student enrollment (1,275 students vs. 1,151 students)

Simpson College vs. Elms College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Simpson College or Elms College?

• Simpson College is 14.1% more expensive to attend than Elms College for in-state tuition ($44,202.00 vs. $38,735.00)
• Out of state tuition is 14.1% higher at Simpson College than College of Our Lady of the Elms ($44,202.00 vs. $38,735.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Simpson College than Elms College ($23,185 vs. $23,498)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Simpson College are 53.6% lower than costs at College of Our Lady of the Elms ($9,654 vs. $14,830)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Simpson College than College of Our Lady of the Elms (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Simpson College students is 32.4% larger than aid received College of Our Lady of the Elms ($35,898 vs. $27,109)

Simpson College vs. Elms College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Simpson College (1104) is 128 points higher than at Elms College (976)
• Incoming Simpson College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Elms College (22)
• Accepted freshman Simpson College students have a 0.2 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at Elms College (3.42)
• Elms College has a higher acceptance rate (90.9%) than Simpson College (89.1%)

Simpson College vs. Elms College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Simpson College or Elms 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 Elms College and Simpson College.

• The graduation rate at Simpson College is higher than College of Our Lady of the Elms (69% vs. 58%)
• Graduates from Simpson College earn on average $1,700 more per year than Elms College graduates after ten years. ($48,000 vs. $46,300)
• College of Our Lady of the Elms students graduate with a $2,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Simpson College graduates. ($25,000 vs. $27,000)
• Elms College graduates are paying $21 less per month on federal student loans than Simpson College graduates. ($258 vs. $279)
• More Simpson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Elms College students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 61%)

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