California Lutheran University vs Menlo College

California Lutheran University and Menlo College, both located in California, offer distinct educational experiences. California Lutheran University, a private university in Thousand Oaks, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Menlo College's selective admissions (49%). With a larger student body, California Lutheran University offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Psychology, while Menlo College focuses on Business, Communication, and Psychology. California Lutheran University's diverse student body comprises 42% male and 58% female students, while Menlo College has a more balanced gender ratio with 48% male and 52% female students. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with California Lutheran University's 79% rate slightly exceeding Menlo College's 76%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Lutheran University	Menlo College
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	Atherton, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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
Students retention rate	83.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	69.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	$40
SAT range	1090 - 1290	N/A
ACT range	23 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,041	2,134
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	1,489
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	148
Yield rate	14.9%	9.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$69,251	$62,546
Average net price	$24,065	$35,658
Tuition	$45,500	$46,625
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	$15,990
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	99.0% Average amount $29,409
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	57.0% Average amount $5,410
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	5.0% Average amount $20,007

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	745 Men 54.4% Women 45.6%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.2%	N/A
International students	6.1%	19.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,517	565
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Colorado Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
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	73.8%	55.0%
Dropout rate	4.9%	45.0%
Transferred out	20.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,547 Year 2: $66,325 Year 3: $72,015 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,971 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,022 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,791 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,796 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,347 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,905 Year 2: $46,321 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

California Lutheran University vs Menlo College

California Lutheran University

Menlo College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About