Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) vs Occidental College

Point Loma Nazarene University and Occidental College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Point Loma Nazarene University, rooted in Christian values, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on liberal arts education. Occidental College, known for its progressive ethos, emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and social justice. With acceptance rates of 75% and 33%, respectively, these universities cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While Point Loma Nazarene University's student body is predominantly White (58%) and female (60%), Occidental College boasts a more diverse student population, with 44% students of color and a balanced gender ratio. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Occidental College	Point Loma Nazarene University
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: Large	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	92.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	83.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1170 - 1350
ACT range	30 - 33	22 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	10.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	3,060
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	2,560
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	662
Yield rate	21.5%	25.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	$62,642
Average net price	$43,047	$34,851
Tuition	$57,830	$38,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	$11,300
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,715	100.0% Average amount $18,365
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	45.0% Average amount $5,325
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	6.0% Average amount $22,040

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	3,174 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%
Graduate students	N/A	1,271 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.5%	26.3%
International students	6.3%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	1,845
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	California Washington Colorado Arizona Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Business Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.9%	72.7%
Dropout rate	4.1%	3.8%
Transferred out	12.6%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,544 Year 2: $55,078 Year 3: $63,231 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,360 Year 2: $37,779 Year 3: $49,843 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,329 Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $45,083 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,948 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $43,488 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $33,877 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $31,152 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,035 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $31,095 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,916 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $30,729 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,793 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A	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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Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) vs Occidental College

Occidental College

Point Loma Nazarene University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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