Clark College vs Pacific Lutheran University

Clark College and Pacific Lutheran University, two distinct institutions of higher learning in Washington State, offer unique educational experiences tailored to different student aspirations. Clark College, a community college in Vancouver, boasts an open-door admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds with an acceptance rate of nearly 100%. Pacific Lutheran University, a private liberal arts university in Tacoma, maintains a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of around 70%. While Clark College excels in associate's degrees and career-oriented programs, Pacific Lutheran University offers a comprehensive range of bachelor's degrees in the arts, sciences, and professions. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Clark College	Pacific Lutheran University
Overview
Location	Vancouver, Washington	Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	88.4%
Application fees		$55
SAT range	N/A	1150 - 1376
ACT range	N/A	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		11.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants		3,220
Total number of admissions given out		2,846
Admitted students who chose to enroll		510
Yield rate		17.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $24,953	$63,563
Average net price	$8,640	$23,568
Tuition	In state: $4,203 Out of state: $9,807	$46,816
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	41.0% Average amount $6,514	99.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $5,616	45.0% Average amount $5,091
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,878	6.0% Average amount $15,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,921 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	N/A	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.1%	N/A
International students	0.6%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,369
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington Oregon Alaska Idaho Utah	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	36.3%	69.4%
Dropout rate	37.2%	30.5%
Transferred out	16.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,033 Year 2: $63,898 Year 3: $72,393 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,055 Year 2: $60,320 Year 3: $67,184 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $54,083 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $47,447 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,951 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $39,397 Precision Metal Working (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,206 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $38,580 Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,556 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $38,154 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,796 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,942 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,785 Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $36,913 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,974 Year 2: $22,534 Year 3: $27,432	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,084 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,573 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,051 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $79,254 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,659 Year 2: $68,875 Year 3: $71,075 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,461 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $64,188 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,494 Year 2: $45,082 Year 3: $52,405 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,050 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $51,610 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $49,858 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,589 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,617 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,575 Year 2: $35,420 Year 3: $46,377 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $45,113

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Clark College

Glendale Community College