Abilene Christian vs Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU)

Abilene Christian University (ACU) and Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique offerings and characteristics. ACU, located in Abilene, Texas, is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, while PLNU, situated in San Diego, California, is a private Christian university affiliated with the Nazarene denomination. While both universities share a commitment to providing a faith-based 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 which university better aligns with your academic aspirations, personal values, and desired campus experience.

	Abilene Christian University	Point Loma Nazarene University
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
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	79.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	83.7%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1050 - 1270	1170 - 1350
ACT range	22 - 28	22 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	10.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	3,060
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	2,560
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	662
Yield rate	14.5%	25.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$55,500	$62,642
Average net price	$29,734	$34,851
Tuition	$39,250	$38,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	$11,300
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	100.0% Average amount $18,365
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	45.0% Average amount $5,325
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	6.0% Average amount $22,040

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	3,174 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	1,271 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	14.8%	26.3%
International students	3.3%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,153	1,845
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	California Washington Colorado Arizona Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	72.7%
Dropout rate	38.8%	3.8%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,619 Year 2: $118,210 Year 3: $128,990 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,406 Year 2: $85,206 Year 3: $89,492 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,310 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,351 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $76,001 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $74,448 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,649 Year 2: $61,681 Year 3: $59,139 Business/Corporate Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,198 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $43,339 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,184 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $43,147 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,147 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $41,978 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,647 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $35,103

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Abilene Christian vs Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU)

Abilene Christian University

Point Loma Nazarene University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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