Admit rate has ranged 57%–67% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Beloit College is a small, fiercely independent liberal arts school in southern Wisconsin that operates less like a traditional campus and more like a living laboratory for the intellectually curious. Its defining ethos is radical flexibility—over 40 majors, a self-designed option, and a curriculum that encourages students to chart their own academic path from day one. This creates a campus culture of creative, often quirky, self-starters who thrive in a tight-knit, residential community where nearly everyone lives on campus and professors are partners in exploration.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Letters of recommendation
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
926
In-state tuition
$60,886
Out-of-state tuition
$60,886
No-Loan Policy
No
Graduation Rate
71%
Meets Full Need
No
On-Campus Living
95%
Demonstrated Interest
Considered (Important)
Median Earnings (10yr)
$53,260
Students Receiving Aid
98%
Student-to-Faculty Ratio
10:1
First-Year Retention Rate
81%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$53,260
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.5×
Median debt at graduation
$25,738
Graduation rate
71%
First-year retention
81%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
78%
Pell (lower-income) share
30%
First-gen share (among federal-aid recipients)
19%
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. divides 10-yr earnings by net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Chemistry$40,821
Business/Managerial Economics$38,289
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$37,208
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$32,382
Education, General$30,926
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other$29,685
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
85
Summer high
82°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
38.1"
Annual snow
36"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
76
Scholarly works
2,162
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
0.9%
Bottom → top quintile
24%
From bottom quintile
4%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Beloit College?
Beloit College's acceptance rate is approximately 63% (Beloit, WI), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Beloit College?
Admitted students at Beloit College typically score 1200–1430 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Beloit College cost?
At Beloit College, the average net price (after aid) is about $21,526 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Beloit College?
Beloit College enrolls approximately 926 undergraduate students.
Where is Beloit College located?
Beloit College is located in Beloit, WI.
Admissions
Beloit's admissions process is selective but accessible, designed to identify students who will thrive in its self-directed, collaborative environment. The college is , accepting either SAT or ACT scores, and places significant weight on an applicant's academic record and personal qualities.
Selectivity & Profile: The is 63%. For those who submit scores, the middle 50% SAT range is 1200–1430, and the middle 50% ACT range is 24–30. The average GPA of admitted students is around 3.4. The rate—the percentage of admitted students who enroll—is relatively low, around 9-12%, which is typical for small private colleges where students often have multiple options.
Application Factors: Beloit considers a student's level of interest to be an "important" factor in admissions decisions. This means visiting campus, engaging with admissions representatives, or thoughtfully completing supplemental materials can positively impact an application. The most important factors are the academic rigor of a student's secondary school record, their GPA, and their application essay. Recommendations, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities are also considered important.
Early Options: The college offers Early Action and Early Decision plans. Acceptance rates for these early pools are significantly higher than the overall rate, with Early Decision historically around 85% and Early Action around 78%. These plans allow the college to fill a substantial portion of its incoming class with students who have clearly identified Beloit as a top choice.
International Relations and National Security Studies$26,933
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Academics at Beloit are defined by exceptional freedom and close mentorship. The college offers over 40 majors and minors, plus the option for students to design their own major. The curriculum is intentionally flexible, built to encourage interdisciplinary exploration and close collaboration with faculty from the start.
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 10:1, ensuring seminar-style classes and accessible professors.
Popular Majors: The social sciences are the most popular broad category, accounting for 19% of recent graduates. This is followed by biological and biomedical sciences (13%), physical sciences (12%), and multi/interdisciplinary studies (8%). Specific popular majors include Biology/Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychology.
Notable Strengths: The college has particular national strength in Anthropology (ranked 2nd among liberal arts colleges for the major), Social Sciences (13th), Business (17th), and Geosciences (26th).
Pedagogy: The emphasis is on "close working" relationships between students and faculty. The flexible curriculum means students have significant agency to shape their educational journey, often combining disparate fields or engaging in hands-on research early in their college career.
Beloit is an intensely residential campus, creating a 24/7 community of engaged, quirky, and independent students. The social life is almost entirely campus-centric, driven by student organizations, campus events, and organic interactions in the residence halls.
Residential Life:95% of students live on campus. Housing options include traditional residence halls, townhouse apartments, and special interest houses (including fraternity and sorority houses). This near-universal on-campus residency fosters a strong sense of community based on mutual respect.
Campus Culture: Students describe a culture that is academically decent but socially "atomized," meaning cliques can form, and the social scene isn't dominated by Greek life or large-scale events. However, 94% of students report feeling extremely safe and secure on campus. The community is diverse, with students hailing from across the country and around the world.
Activities & Surroundings: The campus itself is a hub of activity, with over 100 student-led clubs and organizations. Two campus museums—run by college staff and open to the public—add to the cultural and intellectual life. The city of Beloit, Wisconsin, provides a small-town context, with the college serving as a central intellectual and cultural institution for the area.
Beloit graduates enter the workforce or graduate school with a strong foundation in critical thinking and applied learning. Outcomes vary significantly by major, with some fields commanding particularly strong early-career salaries.
Graduation & Retention: The four-year graduation rate is 69%, and the six-year rate is 76%. The first-year retention rate is 81%, indicating that the vast majority of students who start at Beloit are satisfied enough to return for a second year.
Earnings: The median earnings for Beloit graduates ten years after entry is $53,260. Earnings one year after graduation average around $30,515, rising to approximately $45,599 after five years. However, graduates from high-demand fields fare much better. For example, economics and business graduates report a median early-career salary of $85,000, which grows to a median of $155,000 in mid-to-late career. Furthermore, 83% of business/economics graduates secure a job or enter graduate school within six months of graduation.
Career Support: The college's outcomes are supported by a curriculum that emphasizes real-world experience, with many students completing internships, fieldwork, or research projects that build directly into their post-graduate plans.
Beloit is a private institution with a high comprehensive cost, but it mitigates this for most students through generous merit and . The college is not a "no-loan" institution and does not guarantee to meet 100% of every admitted student's demonstrated financial need.
Sticker Price: The comprehensive cost (tuition, fees, room, and board) is $77,532, with tuition and fees alone at $64,336.
Average Net Price: After grants and scholarships, the average students pay is $21,526. Other sources estimate this average net price to be between $24,941 and $28,224, indicating variability based on individual circumstances.
Financial Aid Prevalence:98% of full-time, first-year undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid. The average financial aid package is substantial, reported to be around $58,797.
Merit vs. Need-Based Aid: All applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships, which can be as high as $53,000 annually. Need-based aid is also available, but the college states it "cannot guarantee that we can meet the full demonstrated financial need of every applicant." For international students and those with unmet need, the college may include loans in the financial aid package.
Policy: Beloit College does not have a "no-loan" policy for all students. It is not among the list of colleges that replace loans with grants for all qualifying students, regardless of income level.
Beloit College stands out for its unwavering commitment to undergraduate agency and intellectual experimentation. It’s a college for the self-starter, the interdisciplinary dabbler, and the student who chafes at rigid requirements. Unlike institutions with more prescribed paths, Beloit hands students the tools and the trust to design their own education, backed by a 10:1 faculty ratio that turns professors into collaborators. This creates a specific type of student body: intellectually fearless, sometimes idiosyncratic, and deeply invested in a campus community where 95% of them live. Its notable strengths in anthropology, social sciences, and business are not just academic rankings but reflections of a pedagogy that excels at hands-on, field-based learning. The trade-off is a social scene that can feel insular and a financial aid policy that, while generous, doesn't eliminate loans for all. For the right student—one who values freedom over structure, close mentorship over lecture halls, and building a unique academic identity—Beloit offers a singular and transformative liberal arts experience that is hard to find anywhere else.
