Santa Clara U vs Pepperdine

Santa Clara University and Pepperdine University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Santa Clara, nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasts a higher acceptance rate (54%) compared to Pepperdine's selective 34%. While Pepperdine's student body is predominantly white (62%), Santa Clara's student body is more diverse, with a larger Hispanic population (22%). Both universities excel in certain academic areas: Santa Clara is known for its strong engineering and business programs, while Pepperdine is renowned for its acclaimed Seaver College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. With comparable graduation rates, both universities ensure their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pepperdine University	Santa Clara University
Overview
Location	Malibu, California	Santa Clara, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.7%	54.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $73
SAT range	1260 - 1440	1330 - 1490
ACT range	25 - 30	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	11,855	16,848
Total number of admissions given out	6,249	9,095
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,024	1,549
Yield rate	16.4%	17.0%
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	$80,152	$78,999
Average net price	$40,945	$48,469
Tuition	$59,450	$55,224
Room & board	$16,700	$16,533
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $36,967	73.0% Average amount $23,770
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,171	24.0% Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,899	2.0% Average amount $30,446

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	5,895 Men 52.7% Women 47.3%
Graduate students	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	3,023 Men 46.0% Women 54.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.9%	44.6%
International students	8.3%	12.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,579	3,551
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Engineering Legal Profession Education Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	11:1
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	83.0%	90.9%
Dropout rate	16.6%	9.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,643 Year 2: $128,588 Year 3: $140,820 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,523 Year 2: $103,449 Year 3: $131,051 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,788 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $129,018 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,729 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $100,639 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,066 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $96,312 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,547 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,288 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $93,193 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,821 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $90,013 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,047 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,828 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $87,254

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