Biola University vs Olivet Nazarene University

Biola University and Olivet Nazarene University, both rooted in Christian values, offer distinct educational experiences. Biola, located in La Mirada, California, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 67% compared to Olivet Nazarene's 84% in Bourbonnais, Illinois. While Biola's student body is more diverse, with 44% identifying as non-white, Olivet Nazarene's student body is predominantly white at 88%. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and psychology, but Biola has a higher graduation rate of 70% compared to Olivet Nazarene's 58%. 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	Olivet Nazarene University
Overview
Location	La Mirada, California	Bourbonnais, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Undenominational	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	60.8%	60.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65	$25
SAT range	1103 - 1348	970 - 1200
ACT range	22 - 29	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	26.0%
Total number of applicants	4,354	5,881
Total number of admissions given out	2,646	3,561
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	661
Yield rate	24.8%	18.6%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,500	$51,840
Average net price	$29,123	$20,431
Tuition	$44,382	$36,450
Room & board	$10,202	$9,490
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 $28,396
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,897	78.0% Average amount $5,436
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,279	11.0% Average amount $12,187

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,596 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	2,643 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	1,955 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%	819 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	28.6%	N/A
International students	9.2%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,750	2,479
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	Education Health Professions Business Theology Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.9%	63.8%
Dropout rate	6.1%	35.9%
Transferred out	22.7%	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $88,786 Year 3: $102,622 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,037 Year 2: $91,004 Year 3: $102,214 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,457 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $85,075 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,282 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $73,820 Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $62,031 Year 2: $67,899 Year 3: $71,991 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,658 Year 2: $65,855 Year 3: $67,524 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,203 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $61,457 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,994 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $58,413 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,504 Year 2: $52,316 Year 3: $54,224 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,595 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $49,738

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