University of Puget Sound vs Biola University

Nestled in the vibrant city of Tacoma, Washington, University of Puget Sound, and Biola University, located in the heart of La Mirada, California, stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning. While both universities offer a transformative educational experience, they differ in several key aspects. University of Puget Sound boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while Biola University maintains a lower acceptance rate, fostering a tight-knit community. In terms of academic offerings, University of Puget Sound excels in the liberal arts and sciences, whereas Biola University emphasizes faith-based education and the integration of Christian values into its curriculum. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Biola University	University of Puget Sound
Overview
Location	La Mirada, California	Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	88.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	60.8%	88.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1103 - 1348	1150 - 1370
ACT range	22 - 29	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	4,354	5,025
Total number of admissions given out	2,646	4,437
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	409
Yield rate	24.8%	9.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,500	$73,134
Average net price	$29,123	$28,221
Tuition	$44,382	$55,390
Room & board	$10,202	Room/dormitory: $7,450 Meal plan: $6,500
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $28,421	99.0% Average amount $31,818
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,897	40.0% Average amount $5,021
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,279	4.0% Average amount $19,731

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,596 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	1,866 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	1,955 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%	307 Men 21.5% Women 78.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	28.6%	74.7%
International students	9.2%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,750	1,726
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Oregon Texas Colorado	California Washington Oregon Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Theology Health Professions Education Philosophy and Religious Studies Psychology	Health Professions Education Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.9%	74.2%
Dropout rate	6.1%	3.7%
Transferred out	22.7%	22.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,482 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $86,424 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,587 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $72,963 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,111 Year 2: $44,711 Year 3: $53,447 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,980 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $52,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,574 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $44,140 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,811 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $43,156 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,228 Year 2: $35,772 Year 3: $41,681 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,993 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,017 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,448 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,971 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,443 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,650	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,730 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $84,211 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,526 Year 2: $73,769 Year 3: $75,695 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,518 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $66,616 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,899 Year 2: $54,331 Year 3: $62,873 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,324 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,383 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $52,400 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,980 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $49,196 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,816 Year 2: $31,848 Year 3: $43,453 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,720 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $42,288 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,004 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $41,574

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