California Lutheran University vs Mount Saint Mary's University

California Lutheran University and Mount Saint Mary's University, both located in Southern California, offer distinct educational experiences. California Lutheran University, a private institution, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Mount Saint Mary's University, a Catholic university, has a smaller student body and a lower acceptance rate. California Lutheran University offers a wider range of undergraduate majors, including popular choices like business, psychology, and communication, while Mount Saint Mary's University focuses on liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors like biology, nursing, and education. Both universities offer a supportive learning environment and opportunities for personal growth, but their unique characteristics may appeal to different students. Explore the comparison table below to discover more details about these two institutions and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	California Lutheran University	Mount Saint Mary's University
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: 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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	90.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
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	1,710
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	1,541
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	367
Yield rate	14.9%	23.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$69,251	$69,092
Average net price	$24,065	$24,508
Tuition	$45,500	$44,088
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	$12,704
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	100.0% Average amount $32,202
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	64.0% Average amount $5,327
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	2.0% Average amount $18,656

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	1,930 Men 6.5% Women 93.5%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	695 Men 21.3% Women 78.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	17.2%	N/A
International students	6.1%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,517	535
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	Health Professions Psychology Business Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	13:1
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%	59.0%
Dropout rate	4.9%	11.3%
Transferred out	20.8%	27.9%
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	Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $80,705 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $96,293 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,742 Year 2: $81,662 Year 3: $95,637 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $67,666 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $89,999 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,340 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $71,416 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,352 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $58,403 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,111 Year 2: $48,265 Year 3: $57,114 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,166 Year 2: $52,385 Year 3: $52,068 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,795 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $47,471 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,589 Year 2: $22,871 Year 3: $41,309 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,665 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $30,097

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California Lutheran University vs Mount Saint Mary's University

California Lutheran University

Mount Saint Mary's University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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