Pacific Lutheran University vs Pepperdine

Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and Pepperdine University are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. PLU, a private Lutheran university in Tacoma, Washington, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and is known for its strong liberal arts and sciences programs. Pepperdine, a private Christian university in Malibu, California, has a more selective admissions process with a 34% acceptance rate and is renowned for its business, law, and education programs. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, their student body demographics differ significantly, with PLU having a larger undergraduate population and Pepperdine having a higher percentage of graduate students. Additionally, PLU's graduation rate stands at 73%, while Pepperdine's is slightly higher at 84%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which university aligns best with

	Pacific Lutheran University	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Tacoma, Washington	Malibu, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	52.7%
Application fees	$55	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1150 - 1376	1260 - 1440
ACT range	22 - 28	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	3,220	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	2,846	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	510	1,024
Yield rate	17.9%	16.4%
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	$63,563	$80,152
Average net price	$23,568	$40,945
Tuition	$46,816	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481	$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $34,413	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,091	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $15,835	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.9%
International students	1.3%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,369	2,579
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.4%	83.0%
Dropout rate	30.5%	16.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	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

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.

Pacific Lutheran University vs Pepperdine

Pacific Lutheran University

Pepperdine University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About