Samuel Merritt University vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Samuel Merritt University and Vanguard University of Southern California, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Samuel Merritt, located in Oakland, California, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals. In contrast, Vanguard, situated in Costa Mesa, California, maintains a more selective admissions process. Regarding academic offerings, Samuel Merritt emphasizes healthcare-related programs, with popular majors including nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. On the other hand, Vanguard offers a broader range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular choices such as business, psychology, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Samuel Merritt University	Vanguard University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Oakland, California	Costa Mesa, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		75.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	69.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1200
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants		2,917
Total number of admissions given out		2,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll		500
Yield rate		24.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price		$60,800
Average net price		$20,427
Tuition		$37,000
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,588 Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		100.0% Average amount $27,535
Students receiving federal student loan		95.0% Average amount $5,626
Students taking out private loans		3.0% Average amount $15,362

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	728 Men 20.6% Women 79.4%	1,975 Men 31.5% Women 68.5%
Graduate students	1,320 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	293 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	0.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions	Psychology Business Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	17:1
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	N/A	61.5%
Dropout rate	N/A	37.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,663 Year 2: $139,136 Year 3: $143,948 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,572 Year 2: $110,846 Year 3: $121,792 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,643 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $121,450 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,463 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $73,513 Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,601 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $72,593 Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,189 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $95,289 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $134,779 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,857 Year 2: $91,300 Year 3: $89,882 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $60,756 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,112 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,596 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,217 Year 2: $40,697 Year 3: $45,892 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $42,899 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,413 Year 2: $33,043 Year 3: $39,397 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,493 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $35,701 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,495

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Samuel Merritt University vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Samuel Merritt University

Vanguard University of Southern California

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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