Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pepperdine

Vanguard University of Southern California and Pepperdine University, both esteemed private Christian universities in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Vanguard, located in Costa Mesa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Pepperdine's selective admissions (33%). While Pepperdine's student body is larger, Vanguard fosters a close-knit community with smaller class sizes. Both universities excel in various disciplines, with Pepperdine renowned for its strong business and law programs, while Vanguard shines in the fields of nursing, education, and psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about their differences in graduation rates, student demographics, and other key aspects, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pepperdine University	Vanguard University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Malibu, California	Costa Mesa, California
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	93.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.7%	69.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1260 - 1440	980 - 1200
ACT range	25 - 30	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	11,855	2,917
Total number of admissions given out	6,249	2,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,024	500
Yield rate	16.4%	24.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,152	$60,800
Average net price	$40,945	$20,427
Tuition	$59,450	$37,000
Room & board	$16,700	Room/dormitory: $6,588 Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $36,967	100.0% Average amount $27,535
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,171	95.0% Average amount $5,626
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,899	3.0% Average amount $15,362

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	1,975 Men 31.5% Women 68.5%
Graduate students	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	293 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.9%	N/A
International students	8.3%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,579	1,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies	Psychology Business Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	17:1
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	83.0%	61.5%
Dropout rate	16.6%	37.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,699 Year 2: $92,733 Year 3: $106,087 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $64,518 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $93,293 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,829 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $91,701 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $66,898 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $90,146 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,350 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $75,589 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,825 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,546 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,559 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $70,082 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,228 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $65,821 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,799 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $58,854 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,780 Year 2: $46,156 Year 3: $56,663	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $134,779 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,857 Year 2: $91,300 Year 3: $89,882 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $60,756 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,112 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,596 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,217 Year 2: $40,697 Year 3: $45,892 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $42,899 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,413 Year 2: $33,043 Year 3: $39,397 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,493 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $35,701 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,495

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Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pepperdine

Pepperdine University

Vanguard University of Southern California

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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