Houston Baptist University vs Pacific Lutheran University

Houston Baptist University and Pacific Lutheran University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. HBU, a private Christian university in Houston, Texas, boasts a 65% acceptance rate and a student body that is predominantly female (58%). On the other hand, PLU, a private Lutheran university in Tacoma, Washington, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 60% and a more balanced gender ratio. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at HBU including Business, Nursing, and Psychology, while PLU excels in fields such as Biology, Business, and Education. While HBU has a higher graduation rate of 62%, PLU's smaller class sizes may provide a more personalized learning environment. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two esteemed universities and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Houston Baptist University	Pacific Lutheran University
Overview
Location	Houston, Texas	Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.9%	88.4%
Application fees		$55
SAT range	1040 - 1250	1150 - 1376
ACT range	22 - 27	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	9,685	3,220
Total number of admissions given out	8,220	2,846
Admitted students who chose to enroll	802	510
Yield rate	9.8%	17.9%
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)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,270	$63,563
Average net price	$20,089	$23,568
Tuition	$33,250	$46,816
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,950 Meal plan: $4,386	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,068	99.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $4,791	45.0% Average amount $5,091
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $14,162	6.0% Average amount $15,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,780 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	1,340 Men 24.5% Women 75.5%	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.0%	N/A
International students	5.4%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,026	1,369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Louisiana California Florida Georgia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Theology	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	43.9%	69.4%
Dropout rate	14.0%	30.5%
Transferred out	40.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,430 Year 2: $80,022 Year 3: $99,948 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,190 Year 2: $72,510 Year 3: $86,451 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $83,750 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,241 Year 2: $69,770 Year 3: $73,176 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,979 Year 3: $63,199 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,344 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $54,044 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,179 Year 3: $53,965 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,192 Year 2: $50,201 Year 3: $51,852 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,921 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $46,700 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $42,928	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,084 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,051 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $79,254 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,659 Year 2: $68,875 Year 3: $71,075 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,461 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $64,188 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,494 Year 2: $45,082 Year 3: $52,405 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,050 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $51,610 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $49,858 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,589 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,617 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,575 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $46,377 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $45,113

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