Wake Forest University (WFU) vs Pepperdine

Wake Forest University and Pepperdine University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wake Forest, nestled in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, boasts a lower acceptance rate (30.6%) compared to Pepperdine's (41.5%) in Malibu, California. While Wake Forest excels in liberal arts and sciences, Pepperdine shines in business and communication. Their student bodies reflect these strengths, with Wake Forest's larger undergraduate population (5,000+) comprising more out-of-state students, while Pepperdine's smaller cohort (3,500+) includes a higher percentage of international students. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Wake Forest's slightly higher (89%) edging out Pepperdine's (87%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pepperdine University	Wake Forest University
Overview
Location	Malibu, California	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.7%	25.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $80
SAT range	1260 - 1440	N/A
ACT range	25 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	11,855	15,156
Total number of admissions given out	6,249	3,816
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,024	1,412
Yield rate	16.4%	37.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,152	$79,886
Average net price	$40,945	$24,643
Tuition	$59,450	$58,708
Room & board	$16,700	Room/dormitory: $10,144 Meal plan: $7,870
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $36,967	33.0% Average amount $53,244
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,171	17.0% Average amount $4,985
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,899	3.0% Average amount $32,719

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	5,472 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	3,475 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	46.9%	N/A
International students	8.3%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,579	4,152
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	Business Health Professions Legal Profession Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.0%	90.2%
Dropout rate	16.6%	9.5%
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: $169,430 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $155,438 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,143 Year 2: $96,587 Year 3: $105,398 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,169 Year 2: $80,510 Year 3: $96,761 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,086 Year 2: $76,836 Year 3: $93,939 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,098 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,902 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,076 Year 2: $65,145 Year 3: $79,400 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,533 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,702 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,731 Year 2: $60,811 Year 3: $72,065 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,100 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $70,717 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,086 Year 2: $57,411 Year 3: $65,270

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Wake Forest University (WFU) vs Pepperdine

Pepperdine University

Wake Forest University

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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