Saint Mary's College of California vs California Lutheran University

Saint Mary's College of California and California Lutheran University, both esteemed private institutions in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Mary's, nestled in the vibrant city of Moraga, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to pursue their academic aspirations. California Lutheran University, located in the charming town of Thousand Oaks, stands out with its higher graduation rate, ensuring students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. While Saint Mary's excels in the liberal arts and sciences, California Lutheran University shines in business and management studies. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	California Lutheran University	Saint Mary's College of California
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	Moraga, 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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	70.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1090 - 1290	N/A
ACT range	23 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,041	3,523
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	2,469
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	421
Yield rate	14.9%	17.1%
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	$71,116
Average net price	$24,065	$25,022
Tuition	$45,500	$51,568
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	$16,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	100.0% Average amount $37,096
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	75.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	3.0% Average amount $19,233

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	2,199 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	966 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.2%	13.9%
International students	6.1%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,517	1,522
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 Washington Colorado Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Business Psychology Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	9:1
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%	73.1%
Dropout rate	4.9%	26.3%
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: $96,339 Year 2: $108,331 Year 3: $119,946 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,181 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $87,697 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $86,536 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,207 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $72,426 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,833 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $68,615 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,015 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $67,476 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,013 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $61,957 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,519 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $60,193 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,458 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $54,948 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,425 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,097

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