Vanguard University of Southern California vs Harvard

When it comes to higher education, two prominent institutions that often draw comparisons are Vanguard University of Southern California and Harvard University. While both offer a wealth of opportunities, they differ in several key aspects. Vanguard, a private Christian university, boasts a significantly higher acceptance rate compared to Harvard's highly selective admissions process. In terms of student demographics, Vanguard's undergraduate population is predominantly female, while Harvard's is more evenly balanced. Regarding academic offerings, Vanguard excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Harvard is renowned for its strength in a wide range of disciplines, including law, medicine, and engineering. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more, providing valuable insights into the unique strengths and characteristics of each institution.
Harvard University logo

Harvard University

Vanguard University of Southern California logo

Vanguard University of Southern California

Overview

Location Cambridge, Massachusetts Costa Mesa, California
Campus setting City: Midsize City: Midsize
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 96.0% 75.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation Protestant

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.0% 69.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $105
Undergraduate: $45

Graduate: $45
SAT range 1480 - 1580 980 - 1200
ACT range 33 - 36 19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 54.0% 12.0%
Students submitting ACT score 31.0% 5.0%
Total number of applicants 57,786 2,917
Total number of admissions given out 2,318 2,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,951 500
Yield rate 84.2% 24.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,028 $60,800
Average net price $13,910 $20,427
Tuition $51,143 $37,000
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $11,705

Meal plan: $7,236
Room/dormitory: $6,588

Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

56.0%
Average amount $59,840
100.0%
Average amount $27,535
Students receiving federal student loan 3.0%
Average amount $5,180
95.0%
Average amount $5,626
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $8,080
3.0%
Average amount $15,362

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
1,975
Men 31.5% Women 68.5%
Graduate students 21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
293
Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 23.9% 0.2%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 12,874 1,049
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
  • Psychology
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio 7:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 96.7% 61.5%
Dropout rate 2.0% 37.7%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $116,679
  • Year 3: $134,779
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,857
  • Year 2: $91,300
  • Year 3: $89,882
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: $60,756
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,112
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $47,596
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,217
  • Year 2: $40,697
  • Year 3: $45,892
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,348
  • Year 3: $42,899
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,413
  • Year 2: $33,043
  • Year 3: $39,397
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $37,493
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: $35,701
Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $35,495

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.
Harvard University Harvard vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Harvard University Harvard vs Yale University Yale University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Harvard University Harvard vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Harvard University Harvard vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Harvard University Harvard vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Harvard University Harvard vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Harvard University Harvard vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Harvard University Harvard vs Barnard College Barnard College
Harvard University Harvard vs Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Harvard University Harvard vs New York University New York University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Arizona Christian University Arizona Christian University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Biola University Biola University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs California Baptist University California Baptist University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Chapman University Chapman University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Concordia University-Irvine Concordia University-Irvine
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs San Diego Christian College San Diego Christian College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Fresno Pacific University Fresno Pacific University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs The Master's University and Seminary The Master's University and Seminary
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Occidental College Occidental College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Hope International University Hope International University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pacific Oaks College Pacific Oaks College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pepperdine University Pepperdine University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pitzer College Pitzer College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Pomona College Pomona College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs University of Redlands University of Redlands
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs William Jessup University William Jessup University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Scripps College Scripps College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Simpson University Simpson University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Harvard University Harvard University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs North Central University North Central University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Carroll College Carroll College
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Warner Pacific University Warner Pacific University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Brigham Young University-Hawaii Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California vs Stanford University Stanford University