WAU-DC vs La Sierra University

Washington Adventist University (WAU) and La Sierra University (LSU) are two highly regarded private Christian universities with distinct characteristics. WAU, located in Takoma Park, Maryland, is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs. LSU, situated in Riverside, California, is also affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and provides a comprehensive selection of undergraduate and graduate degrees. While both universities share a common religious affiliation, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	La Sierra University	Washington Adventist University
Overview
Location	Riverside, California	Takoma Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.1%	61.8%
Application fees		$25
SAT range	880 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%
Total number of applicants	2,726	1,744
Total number of admissions given out	1,801	1,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll	287	56
Yield rate	15.9%	5.2%
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	$59,289	$32,200
Average net price	$25,230	$13,414
Tuition	$33,228	$23,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,740 Meal plan: $4,050	Room/dormitory: $4,470 Meal plan: $5,628
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $20,812	95.0% Average amount $14,746
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $4,980	47.0% Average amount $7,102
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,020	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,351 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	690 Men 33.9% Women 66.1%
Graduate students	387 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	95 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	32.1%
International students	14.1%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	850	400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Maryland District of Columbia Virginia Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Psychology Business Education Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.9%	40.0%
Dropout rate	20.1%	57.1%
Transferred out	34.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,771 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $56,649 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,359 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $41,100 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,044 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,215 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,179 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,431 Year 2: $29,751 Year 3: N/A	N/A

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