Macalester College vs Pepperdine

Macalester College and Pepperdine University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, a liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body and a strong commitment to social justice. Pepperdine, a private research university in Malibu, California, is known for its Christian heritage and its beautiful campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean. With acceptance rates of 33% and 34%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. Macalester's popular majors include political science, economics, and environmental studies, while Pepperdine's strengths lie in business, communication, and psychology. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Macalester College	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Malibu, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	31.3%	52.7%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1340 - 1515	1260 - 1440
ACT range	29 - 33	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	9,046	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	2,828	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	601	1,024
Yield rate	21.3%	16.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,357	$80,152
Average net price	$30,939	$40,945
Tuition	$60,288	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270	$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $42,832	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $4,799	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $4,321	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	N/A	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.9%
International students	13.5%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,332	2,579
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.7%	83.0%
Dropout rate	10.0%	16.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,699 Year 2: $92,733 Year 3: $106,087 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $64,518 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $93,293 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,829 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $91,701 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $66,898 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $90,146 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,350 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $75,589 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,825 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,546 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,559 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $70,082 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,228 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $65,821 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,799 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $58,854 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,780 Year 2: $46,156 Year 3: $56,663

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Macalester College vs Pepperdine

Macalester College

Pepperdine University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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