Willamette University vs Pepperdine

Willamette University and Pepperdine University, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Willamette, nestled in Salem, Oregon, boasts a higher acceptance rate (69%) compared to Pepperdine's selective 34%. Pepperdine, located in Malibu, California, attracts students seeking a faith-based education, while Willamette embraces a diverse student body with no religious affiliation requirement. While Pepperdine excels in business and communication majors, Willamette shines in law, psychology, and liberal arts. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Pepperdine slightly edging out Willamette (89% vs. 86%). Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pepperdine University	Willamette University
Overview
Location	Malibu, California	Salem, Oregon
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%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.7%	79.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
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	3,680
Total number of admissions given out	6,249	2,930
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,024	260
Yield rate	16.4%	8.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,152	$60,106
Average net price	$40,945	$37,400
Tuition	$59,450	$43,500
Room & board	$16,700	Room/dormitory: $7,150 Meal plan: $6,650
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	99.0% Average amount $30,413
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,171	50.0% Average amount $5,145
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,899	7.0% Average amount $15,973

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	1,236 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	549 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	46.9%	N/A
International students	8.3%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,579	1,228
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	Social Sciences Legal Profession Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.0%	72.0%
Dropout rate	16.6%	28.0%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,562 Year 2: $73,530 Year 3: $85,115 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,741 Year 2: $49,102 Year 3: $65,240 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,509 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $57,544 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,011 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $48,905 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,615 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $41,516 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,482 Year 2: $27,204 Year 3: $39,994 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,357 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $36,208 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $33,257 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,292 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,785 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $29,070

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Willamette University vs Pepperdine

Pepperdine University

Willamette University

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Academics

Outcome

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