Biola University vs La Sierra University

Biola University and La Sierra University, both esteemed private Christian universities, offer distinct educational experiences. Biola, located in La Mirada, California, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 65% compared to La Sierra's 75% in Riverside, California. While Biola's student body is predominantly White (53%) and female (59%), La Sierra's student body is more diverse, with a larger Hispanic population (34%) and a more balanced gender ratio. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and psychology, but Biola has a higher graduation rate (70%) than La Sierra (65%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Biola University	La Sierra University
Overview
Location	La Mirada, California	Riverside, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	72.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Undenominational	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	60.8%	66.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1103 - 1348	880 - 1140
ACT range	22 - 29	18 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	2.0%
Total number of applicants	4,354	2,726
Total number of admissions given out	2,646	1,801
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	287
Yield rate	24.8%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,500	$59,289
Average net price	$29,123	$25,230
Tuition	$44,382	$33,228
Room & board	$10,202	Room/dormitory: $4,740 Meal plan: $4,050
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $28,421	100.0% Average amount $20,812
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,897	59.0% Average amount $4,980
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,279	1.0% Average amount $22,020

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,596 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	1,351 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%
Graduate students	1,955 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%	387 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	28.6%	N/A
International students	9.2%	14.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,750	850
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Oregon Texas Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Theology Health Professions Education Philosophy and Religious Studies Psychology	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.9%	44.9%
Dropout rate	6.1%	20.1%
Transferred out	22.7%	34.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,482 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $86,424 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,587 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $72,963 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,111 Year 2: $44,711 Year 3: $53,447 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,980 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $52,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,574 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $44,140 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,811 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $43,156 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,228 Year 2: $35,772 Year 3: $41,681 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,993 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,017 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,448 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,971 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,443 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,650	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,771 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $56,649 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,359 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,100 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,044 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,215 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,179 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,431 Year 2: $29,751 Year 3: N/A

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Biola University vs La Sierra University

Biola University

La Sierra University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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