Pepperdine vs California Lutheran University

Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University, both esteemed private institutions in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Pepperdine, nestled in Malibu, boasts a lower acceptance rate (33%) compared to Cal Lutheran's (65%), indicating a more selective admissions process. Pepperdine's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 3,433 compared to Cal Lutheran's 2,833. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, Pepperdine is known for its strengths in business, communication, and social sciences, while Cal Lutheran excels in nursing, education, and biological sciences. With graduation rates of 86% and 79% respectively, both institutions prioritize student success and timely degree completion. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' unique characteristics and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Lutheran University	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	Malibu, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: 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%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	52.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1090 - 1290	1260 - 1440
ACT range	23 - 28	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	4,041	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	1,024
Yield rate	14.9%	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	$69,251	$80,152
Average net price	$24,065	$40,945
Tuition	$45,500	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.2%	46.9%
International students	6.1%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,517	2,579
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	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
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%	83.0%
Dropout rate	4.9%	16.6%
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: $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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