Saint Mary's College of California vs National University (NU)

Saint Mary's College of California and National University, two distinct institutions with unique offerings, stand ready to shape your academic journey. Saint Mary's, a private liberal arts college nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 75%, while National University, a private nonprofit university with multiple campuses across California, offers open admissions. Explore the diverse academic landscapes of these institutions, from Saint Mary's popular majors in business, psychology, and biology to National University's strengths in business, education, and nursing. Discover the vibrant student bodies, with Saint Mary's predominantly undergraduate population and National University's mix of undergraduate and graduate students. Compare graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and more to make an informed decision about your educational future. Dive into the comparison table to uncover the details that will help you find the perfect fit for your academic aspirations.

	National University	Saint Mary's College of California
Overview
Location	La Jolla, California	Moraga, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	100.0%	88.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.5%	70.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	154	3,523
Total number of admissions given out	84	2,469
Admitted students who chose to enroll	38	421
Yield rate	45.2%	17.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$36,459	$71,116
Average net price	$9,966	$25,022
Tuition	$13,320	$51,568
Room & board		$16,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $8,610	100.0% Average amount $37,096
Students receiving federal student loan		75.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans		3.0% Average amount $19,233

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,648 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,199 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	9,487 Men 28.7% Women 71.3%	966 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	13.9%
International students	0.6%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,522
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Colorado Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Psychology Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Business Psychology Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	46.7%	73.1%
Dropout rate	N/A	26.3%
Transferred out	43.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,452 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $97,514 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,429 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $94,326 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,563 Year 2: $84,367 Year 3: $90,127 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,898 Year 2: $83,505 Year 3: $87,794 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,729 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $82,008 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,709 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $81,966 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,545 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $77,049 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,576 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $76,724 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,716 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $74,055 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,949 Year 2: $65,657 Year 3: $73,109	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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