Pepperdine vs Gonzaga

Pepperdine University and Gonzaga University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Pepperdine, located in Malibu, California, boasts a lower acceptance rate (33%) compared to Gonzaga's (65%) in Spokane, Washington. Pepperdine's student body is more diverse, with 44% identifying as non-white, while Gonzaga's student body is predominantly white (79%). Both universities excel in certain academic areas: Pepperdine is known for its strong business and communication programs, while Gonzaga is recognized for its nursing and engineering programs. With Pepperdine's higher graduation rate (86%) compared to Gonzaga's (80%), students may find a more supportive environment for academic success at Pepperdine. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Gonzaga University	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Spokane, Washington	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	92.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.2%	52.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1210 - 1380	1260 - 1440
ACT range	27 - 31	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	8,853	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	6,742	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,311	1,024
Yield rate	19.4%	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	$64,356	$80,152
Average net price	$35,529	$40,945
Tuition	$47,560	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,922 Meal plan: $6,520	$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,861	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,092	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $8,834	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,986 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	2,395 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	58.4%	46.9%
International students	2.8%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,010	2,579
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington California Oregon Colorado Arizona	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	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	85.1%	83.0%
Dropout rate	5.2%	16.6%
Transferred out	9.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,524 Year 2: $105,418 Year 3: $114,618 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,697 Year 2: $82,685 Year 3: $88,736 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,511 Year 2: $67,447 Year 3: $78,861 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,158 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,302 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,609 Year 2: $71,930 Year 3: $76,778 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,550 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $74,451 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,156 Year 2: $64,741 Year 3: $73,535 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,977 Year 2: $61,859 Year 3: $71,337 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,455 Year 2: $60,298 Year 3: $71,186 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $52,437 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $69,299	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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Pepperdine vs Gonzaga

Gonzaga University

Pepperdine University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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