California Lutheran University vs Willamette University

California Lutheran University and Willamette University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. California Lutheran University, nestled in Thousand Oaks, California, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. Willamette University, located in Salem, Oregon, stands out with its smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While California Lutheran University excels in nursing and business programs, Willamette University shines in liberal arts and sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Lutheran University	Willamette University
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	Salem, Oregon
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
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%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	79.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 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	3,680
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	2,930
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	260
Yield rate	14.9%	8.9%
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	$60,106
Average net price	$24,065	$37,400
Tuition	$45,500	$43,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	Room/dormitory: $7,150 Meal plan: $6,650
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	99.0% Average amount $30,413
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	50.0% Average amount $5,145
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	7.0% Average amount $15,973

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	1,236 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	549 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	17.2%	N/A
International students	6.1%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,517	1,228
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	Social Sciences Legal Profession Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.8%	72.0%
Dropout rate	4.9%	28.0%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,562 Year 2: $73,530 Year 3: $85,115 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,741 Year 2: $49,102 Year 3: $65,240 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,509 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $57,544 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,011 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $48,905 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,615 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $41,516 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,482 Year 2: $27,204 Year 3: $39,994 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,357 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $36,208 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $33,257 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,292 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,785 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $29,070

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