California Lutheran University vs Whitman College

California Lutheran University and Whitman College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. California Lutheran University, nestled in the vibrant city of Thousand Oaks, California, boasts an acceptance rate of 75%, while Whitman College, located in the picturesque town of Walla Walla, Washington, maintains a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 56%. California Lutheran University's student body is more diverse, with 48% identifying as students of color compared to Whitman College's 29%. Both institutions excel in academics, with California Lutheran University's popular majors including Business, Communication, and Psychology, and Whitman College's strengths lying in the fields of Biology, Economics, and English. While California Lutheran University boasts a slightly higher graduation rate of 79%, Whitman College's graduates enjoy a higher median salary of $68,700 compared to $60,500. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the unique characteristics
California Lutheran University logo

California Lutheran University

Whitman College logo

Whitman College

Overview

Location Thousand Oaks, California Walla Walla, Washington
Campus setting City: Midsize City: Small
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
Students retention rate 83.0% 89.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Evangelical

Admission

Acceptance rate 81.9% 59.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $50
$50
SAT range 1090 - 1290 1295 - 1455
ACT range 23 - 28 29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score 17.0% 21.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0% 19.0%
Total number of applicants 4,041 5,155
Total number of admissions given out 3,311 3,039
Admitted students who chose to enroll 492 477
Yield rate 14.9% 15.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $69,251 $71,982
Average net price $24,065 $35,627
Tuition $45,500 $55,560
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,130

Meal plan: $6,840
Room/dormitory: $6,080

Meal plan: $7,720
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

98.0%
Average amount $30,924
91.0%
Average amount $30,781
Students receiving federal student loan 53.0%
Average amount $5,462
42.0%
Average amount $4,853
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $23,023
2.0%
Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,592
Men 46.8% Women 53.2%
1,559
Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students 1,174
Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 17.2% 65.0%
International students 6.1% 10.2%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Small
Dormitory capacity 1,517 886
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Hawaii Colorado Texas Washington California Oregon Colorado Minnesota

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Education
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • English Language and Literature
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 73.8% 88.7%
Dropout rate 4.9% 1.6%
Transferred out 20.8% 8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,459
  • Year 2: $108,092
  • Year 3: $110,763
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,377
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $88,791
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,491
  • Year 2: $75,011
  • Year 3: $76,443
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,247
  • Year 2: $57,995
  • Year 3: $73,469
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,706
  • Year 2: $55,512
  • Year 3: $62,953
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,621
  • Year 2: $56,641
  • Year 3: $59,516
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,707
  • Year 2: $48,823
  • Year 3: $56,640
Public Administration (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,014
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $55,305
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,687
  • Year 2: $46,478
  • Year 3: $52,964
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,541
  • Year 2: $36,275
  • Year 3: $52,663
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,596
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $64,407
Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $43,330
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,051
  • Year 2: $22,999
  • Year 3: $41,844
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,549
  • Year 2: $27,584
  • Year 3: $39,355
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $18,868
  • Year 3: N/A
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,472
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A

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