Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) vs Saint Mary's College of California

Point Loma Nazarene University and Saint Mary's College of California, both esteemed private institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Point Loma, rooted in Christian values, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Saint Mary's, known for its liberal arts focus, maintains a more selective admissions process and a smaller, diverse student population. Explore their contrasting acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes in the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Point Loma Nazarene University	Saint Mary's College of California
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Moraga, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.7%	70.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1170 - 1350	N/A
ACT range	22 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%
Total number of applicants	3,060	3,523
Total number of admissions given out	2,560	2,469
Admitted students who chose to enroll	662	421
Yield rate	25.9%	17.1%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,642	$71,116
Average net price	$34,851	$25,022
Tuition	$38,800	$51,568
Room & board	$11,300	$16,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $18,365	100.0% Average amount $37,096
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,325	75.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $22,040	3.0% Average amount $19,233

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,174 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%	2,199 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	1,271 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	966 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	26.3%	13.9%
International students	1.1%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,845	1,522
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Arizona Hawaii	California Washington Colorado Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Business Psychology Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	9:1
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	72.7%	73.1%
Dropout rate	3.8%	26.3%
Transferred out	22.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,339 Year 2: $108,331 Year 3: $119,946 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,181 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $87,697 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $86,536 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,207 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $72,426 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,833 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $68,615 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,015 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $67,476 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,013 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $61,957 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,519 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $60,193 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,458 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $54,948 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,425 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,097

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