California Lutheran University vs Bethany College

California Lutheran University and Bethany College, while both offering a high-quality education, present distinct experiences for prospective students. California Lutheran University, located in Thousand Oaks, California, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Bethany College's 68% in Lindsborg, Kansas. California Lutheran University's student body is more diverse, with 48% female and 52% male students, while Bethany College's student body is predominantly female at 62%. Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Psychology, but California Lutheran University also features strong programs in Engineering and Computer Science. With a higher graduation rate (78%) compared to Bethany College's 65%, California Lutheran University may provide a more supportive environment for students to complete their degrees. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two esteemed institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Bethany College	California Lutheran University
Overview
Location	Lindsborg, Kansas	Thousand Oaks, California
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	38.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.9%	81.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50
SAT range	810 - 1015	1090 - 1290
ACT range	17 - 23	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	2,627	4,041
Total number of admissions given out	1,888	3,311
Admitted students who chose to enroll	256	492
Yield rate	13.6%	14.9%
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)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,560	$69,251
Average net price	$26,732	$24,065
Tuition	$29,200	$45,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,375 Meal plan: $5,600	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $22,305	98.0% Average amount $30,924
Students receiving federal student loan	90.0% Average amount $5,285	53.0% Average amount $5,462
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $13,614	5.0% Average amount $23,023

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	737 Men 57.7% Women 42.3%	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%
Graduate students	N/A	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	67.2%	17.2%
International students	4.8%	6.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	712	1,517
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Kansas Texas Oklahoma California Florida	California Washington Hawaii Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Education Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	30.4%	73.8%
Dropout rate	69.6%	4.9%
Transferred out	N/A	20.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,319 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,090 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,708 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $95,459 Year 2: $108,092 Year 3: $110,763 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,377 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,791 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,491 Year 2: $75,011 Year 3: $76,443 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,247 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $73,469 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,706 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $62,953 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,621 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $59,516 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,707 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $56,640 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,014 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $55,305 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,687 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $52,964 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,541 Year 2: $36,275 Year 3: $52,663

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Bethany College

University of California-Berkeley