SPU Seattle vs Pacific Lutheran University

Seattle Pacific University and Pacific Lutheran University, both esteemed private institutions in Washington state, offer distinct educational experiences. Seattle Pacific, located in the vibrant city of Seattle, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Pacific Lutheran's 70%. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, Seattle Pacific excels in nursing, business, and engineering, while Pacific Lutheran shines in the fields of education, social work, and music. Seattle Pacific's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 3,300 compared to Pacific Lutheran's 2,800. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Seattle Pacific's at 78% and Pacific Lutheran's at 76%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two outstanding institutions.

	Pacific Lutheran University	Seattle Pacific University
Overview
Location	Tacoma, Washington	Seattle, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	91.9%
Application fees	$55	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1150 - 1376	1050 - 1300
ACT range	22 - 28	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,220	4,359
Total number of admissions given out	2,846	4,008
Admitted students who chose to enroll	510	580
Yield rate	17.9%	14.5%
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	$63,563	$53,766
Average net price	$23,568	$26,153
Tuition	$46,816	$35,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481	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)	99.0% Average amount $34,413	99.0% Average amount $37,230
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,091	55.0% Average amount $5,468
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $15,835	5.0% Average amount $14,470

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	2,640 Men 32.8% Women 67.2%
Graduate students	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%	803 Men 26.0% Women 74.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.8%
International students	1.3%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,369	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	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Education Psychology Health Professions Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.4%	65.9%
Dropout rate	30.5%	21.2%
Transferred out	N/A	12.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,084 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,051 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $79,254 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,659 Year 2: $68,875 Year 3: $71,075 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,461 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $64,188 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,494 Year 2: $45,082 Year 3: $52,405 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,050 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $51,610 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $49,858 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,589 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,617 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,575 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $46,377 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $45,113	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

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