Valpo U vs Pacific Lutheran University

Valparaiso University and Pacific Lutheran University, both rooted in strong academic traditions and vibrant campus communities, offer distinct educational experiences. Valparaiso, a private Lutheran university in Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Pacific Lutheran's 70%. Valparaiso's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of over 3,000 students, while Pacific Lutheran's undergraduate enrollment stands at around 2,800. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Nursing. However, Valparaiso has a slightly higher graduation rate (73%) compared to Pacific Lutheran's 69%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pacific Lutheran University	Valparaiso University
Overview
Location	Tacoma, Washington	Valparaiso, Indiana
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	93.2%
Application fees	$55	$30
SAT range	1150 - 1376	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%
Total number of applicants	3,220	6,095
Total number of admissions given out	2,846	5,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	510	601
Yield rate	17.9%	10.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$63,563	$56,516
Average net price	$23,568	$21,997
Tuition	$46,816	$43,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481	Room/dormitory: $7,956 Meal plan: $4,916
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $34,413	100.0% Average amount $33,693
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,091	63.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $15,835	11.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	2,507 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%	417 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	52.5%
International students	1.3%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,369	2,033
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.4%	74.5%
Dropout rate	30.5%	25.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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 (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $94,025 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $120,200 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,690 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $73,522 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,015 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $70,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,962 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $70,724 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,617 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $68,143 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,126 Year 2: $62,934 Year 3: $62,049 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $42,790 Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $55,968 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,691 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $54,471 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,272 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $53,238 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,613

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