Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Case Western Reserve University, Wake Forest University, Macalester College. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Case WesternCleveland, OH | Wake ForestWinston-Salem, NC | MacalesterSaint Paul, MN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 36.5% | 21.7% | 28.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1430–1540 | 1410–1520 | 1350–1510 |
| Average net price | $41,19017.5% on Pell grants | $28,71910.1% on Pell grants | $32,14917.2% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $66,608Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $67,642Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $68,104Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 87.2% | 89.1% | 87.1% |
| First-year retention | 92.1% | 92.6% | 92.3% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 17.5% | 10.1% | 17.2% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $87,989 | $78,158 | $63,878 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $24,000 | $21,500 | $23,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 9:1 | 9:1 | 10:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,437 | 5,485 | 2,131 |
| Consensus percentile | 21Lower is better | 20Lower is better | 26Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 42 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 51 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 64 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Case Western | Wake Forest | Macalester |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #51 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #51 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #28 of 207Liberal arts collegesNational Liberal Arts Colleges · 2026 |
| Forbes | #131 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #98 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #207 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | Not ranked by this source | #108 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #38 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #224 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #137 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #333 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #81 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #60 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #136 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #294 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #806 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Case Western Reserve University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Wake Forest University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Macalester College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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