Wheaton College vs La Sierra University

Wheaton College and La Sierra University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Wheaton College, located in Wheaton, Illinois, is a private Christian liberal arts college with a long-standing tradition of academic excellence. La Sierra University, situated in Riverside, California, is a private Christian university affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, emphasizing a holistic approach to education. While both institutions share a commitment to providing quality education, 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 institutions apart and make informed decisions about your academic journey.

	La Sierra University	Wheaton College
Overview
Location	Riverside, California	Wheaton, Illinois
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%	89.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.1%	86.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $30
SAT range	880 - 1140	1250 - 1430
ACT range	18 - 28	27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	25.0%
Total number of applicants	2,726	1,993
Total number of admissions given out	1,801	1,719
Admitted students who chose to enroll	287	546
Yield rate	15.9%	31.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,289	$54,700
Average net price	$25,230	$28,319
Tuition	$33,228	$40,570
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,740 Meal plan: $4,050	Room/dormitory: $6,640 Meal plan: $4,660
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $20,812	91.0% Average amount $23,469
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $4,980	52.0% Average amount $5,169
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,020	5.0% Average amount $15,404

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,351 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	2,341 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%
Graduate students	387 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	706 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	14.1%	5.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	850	2,153
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Psychology Theology Education Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.9%	87.6%
Dropout rate	20.1%	3.1%
Transferred out	34.7%	9.1%
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	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,492 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,559 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,982 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $48,761 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,694 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $48,539 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,613 Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: $41,661 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,251 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $41,339 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,767 Year 2: $39,049 Year 3: $38,775 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,864 Year 3: $36,928 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,471 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $34,682 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,825 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $32,867 Religious Education (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,289

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