SPU Seattle vs La Sierra University

Seattle Pacific University and La Sierra University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Seattle Pacific University, located in the vibrant city of Seattle, Washington, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, providing a diverse and dynamic campus environment. La Sierra University, nestled in the picturesque town of Riverside, California, offers a more selective admissions process and a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community atmosphere. Both universities excel in different academic areas, with Seattle Pacific University excelling in fields like business and nursing, while La Sierra University shines in disciplines such as biology and theology. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	La Sierra University	Seattle Pacific University
Overview
Location	Riverside, California	Seattle, Washington
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.1%	91.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	880 - 1140	1050 - 1300
ACT range	18 - 28	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,726	4,359
Total number of admissions given out	1,801	4,008
Admitted students who chose to enroll	287	580
Yield rate	15.9%	14.5%
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	$59,289	$53,766
Average net price	$25,230	$26,153
Tuition	$33,228	$35,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,740 Meal plan: $4,050	Room/dormitory: $7,350 Meal plan: $6,054
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $20,812	99.0% Average amount $37,230
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $4,980	55.0% Average amount $5,468
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,020	5.0% Average amount $14,470

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,351 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	2,640 Men 32.8% Women 67.2%
Graduate students	387 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	803 Men 26.0% Women 74.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.8%
International students	14.1%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	850	1,779
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Washington California Hawaii Oregon Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Psychology Health Professions Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.9%	65.9%
Dropout rate	20.1%	21.2%
Transferred out	34.7%	12.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,771 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $56,649 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,359 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,100 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,044 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,215 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,179 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,431 Year 2: $29,751 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,437 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,823 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,680 Year 2: $66,077 Year 3: $92,654 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,811 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $84,509 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,224 Year 2: $71,463 Year 3: $76,324 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $75,938 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,417 Year 2: $56,802 Year 3: $66,654 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,558 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,753 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,574 Year 2: $49,875 Year 3: $65,360 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,899 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,623 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,789 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $61,011

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

La Sierra University

Oakwood University