University of San Diego vs California Lutheran University

Nestled in the vibrant city of San Diego and the charming town of Thousand Oaks, University of San Diego (USD) and California Lutheran University (CLU) stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover the nuances that set these two universities apart and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	California Lutheran University	University of San Diego
Overview
Location	Thousand Oaks, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.9%	52.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1090 - 1290	N/A
ACT range	23 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,041	14,326
Total number of admissions given out	3,311	7,550
Admitted students who chose to enroll	492	1,166
Yield rate	14.9%	15.4%
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	$69,251	$75,982
Average net price	$24,065	$34,155
Tuition	$45,500	$52,120
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $6,840	$16,246
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $30,924	82.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,462	33.0% Average amount $5,216
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $23,023	5.0% Average amount $12,155

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,592 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	5,702 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	1,174 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	3,339 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.2%	45.5%
International students	6.1%	6.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,517	2,484
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Colorado Texas	California Washington Colorado Arizona Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Legal Profession Business Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	13:1
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	73.8%	80.0%
Dropout rate	4.9%	19.5%
Transferred out	20.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $95,459 Year 2: $108,092 Year 3: $110,763 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,377 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,791 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,491 Year 2: $75,011 Year 3: $76,443 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,247 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $73,469 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,706 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $62,953 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,621 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $59,516 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,707 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $56,640 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,014 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $55,305 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,687 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $52,964 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,541 Year 2: $36,275 Year 3: $52,663	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,672 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $115,744 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,123 Year 2: $89,672 Year 3: $102,690 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,786 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $98,598 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,329 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $93,985 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,367 Year 2: $73,391 Year 3: $92,346 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,417 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $84,924 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,970 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,277 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,809 Year 2: $61,962 Year 3: $75,083 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,424 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $72,729 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,434 Year 2: $61,069 Year 3: $72,310

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