Baylor vs Pacific Lutheran University

Baylor University and Pacific Lutheran University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Baylor, a private Christian university in Waco, Texas, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Pacific Lutheran, a private Lutheran university in Tacoma, Washington, offers a more diverse student body and a higher graduation rate. Both universities excel in various academic disciplines, with Baylor excelling in fields like business, engineering, and nursing, and Pacific Lutheran excelling in areas such as education, nursing, and social work. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Baylor University	Pacific Lutheran University
Overview
Location	Waco, Texas	Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	56.7%	88.4%
Application fees	$50	$55
SAT range	1160 - 1350	1150 - 1376
ACT range	25 - 32	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	39.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	36,588	3,220
Total number of admissions given out	20,741	2,846
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,271	510
Yield rate	20.6%	17.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,150	$63,563
Average net price	$46,039	$23,568
Tuition	$50,232	$46,816
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,200 Meal plan: $6,074	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $21,460	99.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,411	45.0% Average amount $5,091
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $26,787	6.0% Average amount $15,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,191 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	5,435 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	43.4%	N/A
International students	4.2%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,321	1,369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas California Colorado Illinois Washington	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession Education	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	81.6%	69.4%
Dropout rate	18.2%	30.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,204 Year 2: $96,457 Year 3: $109,058 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $100,127 Year 3: $100,370 General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,388 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $98,739 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,072 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $85,393 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,702 Year 2: $75,047 Year 3: $82,751 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,793 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $82,525 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,614 Year 2: $65,320 Year 3: $82,203 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,012 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $75,979 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,433 Year 2: $63,522 Year 3: $74,962 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,921 Year 2: $66,897 Year 3: $74,883	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,084 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,051 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $79,254 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,659 Year 2: $68,875 Year 3: $71,075 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,461 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $64,188 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,494 Year 2: $45,082 Year 3: $52,405 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,050 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $51,610 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $49,858 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,589 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,617 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,575 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $46,377 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $45,113

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