Emmanuel University vs LaGrange College

Metric	Emmanuel University	LaGrange College
Undergraduate enrollment	775	636
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	74.0%	62.1%
Median ACT	21	—
In-state tuition	$25,500	$35,400
Out-of-state tuition	$25,500	$35,400
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$20,925	$20,875
Median debt at graduation	$24,325	$25,730
Graduation rate	42.3%	46.9%
First-year retention	70.9%	67.2%
Median salary (10 yr)	$38,208	$51,745

Metric

Emmanuel University

LaGrange College

Undergraduate enrollment

775

636

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

74.0%

62.1%

Median ACT

—

In-state tuition

$25,500

$35,400

Out-of-state tuition

$25,500

$35,400

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$20,925

$20,875

Median debt at graduation

$24,325

$25,730

Graduation rate

42.3%

46.9%

First-year retention

70.9%

67.2%

Median salary (10 yr)

$38,208

$51,745

What the numbers say

LaGrange College is the harder admit at 62.1%, against 74.0% at Emmanuel University.
LaGrange College costs less after aid — $20,875 a year versus $20,925, a difference of $50 annually, or roughly $200 across four years.
LaGrange College graduates report higher median earnings — $51,745 against $38,208 ten years after entry.
LaGrange College graduates a larger share of its students — 46.9% versus 42.3%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — LaGrange College comes out ahead at 2.5× versus 1.8×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Emmanuel University and LaGrange College run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.