Pepperdine vs Clark University

Pepperdine University and Clark University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Pepperdine, a private Christian university in Malibu, California, boasts a picturesque campus and a strong emphasis on faith-based education. Clark, a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, is known for its liberal arts curriculum and commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 33% and 56%, respectively, both universities offer competitive admissions processes. Pepperdine's student body is predominantly White (56%) and female (58%), while Clark's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of international students (13%) and a more even gender distribution (51% female, 49% male). Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Clark University	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts	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	87.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	48.0%	52.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $100	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1218 - 1403	1260 - 1440
ACT range	27 - 30	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	8,151	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	3,915	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	505	1,024
Yield rate	12.9%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,302	$80,152
Average net price	$31,565	$40,945
Tuition	$49,950	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $4,150	$16,700
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $27,608	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,282	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $16,271	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,302 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	1,048 Men 49.3% Women 50.7%	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.9%
International students	23.0%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,633	2,579
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Connecticut Maine New Jersey	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Mathematics and Statistics Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	79.0%	83.0%
Dropout rate	6.8%	16.6%
Transferred out	14.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,601 Year 2: $64,328 Year 3: $76,941 Geography and Cartography (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,259 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $68,708 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,937 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,038 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,649 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $50,210 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,148 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $49,665 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,833 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $49,591 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,656 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $47,508 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,412 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $46,715 Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,423 Year 3: $46,559 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $46,250	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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