Pepperdine vs Harvey Mudd College

Pepperdine University and Harvey Mudd College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Pepperdine, a private Christian university in Malibu, California, boasts an acceptance rate of 34%, while Harvey Mudd, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, has a highly selective acceptance rate of 14%. Pepperdine's student body is significantly larger, with over 8,000 undergraduates compared to Harvey Mudd's approximately 900. Both institutions excel in academics, with Pepperdine offering popular majors in business, communication, and psychology, and Harvey Mudd specializing in science, engineering, and mathematics. While Pepperdine's graduation rate stands at 84%, Harvey Mudd boasts an impressive 96% graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Harvey Mudd College	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	Claremont, California	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	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.0%	52.7%
Application fees	$70	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1480 - 1560	1260 - 1440
ACT range	34 - 36	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	4,737	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	473	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	225	1,024
Yield rate	47.6%	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	$82,236	$80,152
Average net price	$33,838	$40,945
Tuition	$60,402	$59,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,592 Meal plan: $8,741	$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $32,188	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,821	38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $9,820	9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	905 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	N/A	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.9%
International students	8.5%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	926	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	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	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	94.4%	83.0%
Dropout rate	0.5%	16.6%
Transferred out	4.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,973 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $166,134 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $123,339 Year 2: $142,581 Year 3: $159,657 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,948 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $90,517	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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