Villanova University vs Pepperdine

Villanova University and Pepperdine University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Villanova, a private Catholic university in Pennsylvania, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to Pepperdine, a private Christian university located in California. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Villanova excels in business, engineering, and nursing, while Pepperdine is renowned for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, financial aid opportunities, and notable alumni, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Pepperdine University logo

Pepperdine University

Villanova University logo

Villanova University

Overview

Location Malibu, California Villanova, Pennsylvania
Campus setting Suburb: Large Suburb: 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 93.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Churches of Christ Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 52.7% 25.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1260 - 1440 1350 - 1490
ACT range 25 - 30 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 19.0% 28.0%
Students submitting ACT score 3.0% 17.0%
Total number of applicants 11,855 24,410
Total number of admissions given out 6,249 6,162
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,024 1,772
Yield rate 16.4% 28.8%
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) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,152 $77,806
Average net price $40,945 $33,123
Tuition $59,450 $58,290
Room & board $16,700
Room/dormitory: $8,236

Meal plan: $7,150
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

96.0%
Average amount $36,967
52.0%
Average amount $43,106
Students receiving federal student loan 38.0%
Average amount $5,171
34.0%
Average amount $5,267
Students taking out private loans 9.0%
Average amount $12,899
7.0%
Average amount $29,933

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 3,708
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
7,032
Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students 6,738
Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
3,838
Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 46.9% 80.7%
International students 8.3% 3.6%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 2,579 5,400
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Connecticut Maryland

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Health Professions
  • Legal Profession
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 13:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 83.0% 91.3%
Dropout rate 16.6% 1.5%
Transferred out N/A 7.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $100,699
  • Year 2: $92,733
  • Year 3: $106,087
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,518
  • Year 2: $74,576
  • Year 3: $93,293
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,829
  • Year 2: $96,691
  • Year 3: $91,701
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,898
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $90,146
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,350
  • Year 2: $62,508
  • Year 3: $75,589
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,825
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $71,546
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,559
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $70,082
International Business (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,228
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $65,821
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,799
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $58,854
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,780
  • Year 2: $46,156
  • Year 3: $56,663
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,668
  • Year 2: $165,766
  • Year 3: $171,511
Taxation (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $124,137
  • Year 2: $100,740
  • Year 3: $121,765
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,590
  • Year 2: $109,095
  • Year 3: $118,365
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,687
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $106,587
Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,782
  • Year 2: $71,351
  • Year 3: $91,484
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,757
  • Year 2: $73,579
  • Year 3: $88,419
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,583
  • Year 2: $80,218
  • Year 3: $88,254
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,297
  • Year 2: $71,947
  • Year 3: $86,990
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,492
  • Year 2: $72,214
  • Year 3: $85,108
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,115
  • Year 2: $74,576
  • Year 3: $84,596

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.
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Alabama A & M University Alabama A & M University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Heritage Christian University Heritage Christian University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Samford University Samford University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Biola University Biola University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs California Baptist University California Baptist University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs California Lutheran University California Lutheran University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Alliant International University-San Diego Alliant International University-San Diego
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Chapman University Chapman University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Concordia University-Irvine Concordia University-Irvine
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs University of La Verne University of La Verne
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs La Sierra University La Sierra University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs The Master's University and Seminary The Master's University and Seminary
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Mills College Mills College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs National University National University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Occidental College Occidental College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs University of the Pacific University of the Pacific
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Pitzer College Pitzer College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Pomona College Pomona College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Scripps College Scripps College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Westmont College Westmont College
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Clark University Clark University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs St Catherine University St Catherine University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Lipscomb University Lipscomb University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs Stanford University Stanford University
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs DeVry University-California DeVry University-California
Pepperdine University Pepperdine vs The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at San Diego The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at San Diego
Villanova University Villanova University vs Pepperdine University Pepperdine University
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of San Diego University of San Diego
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of Denver University of Denver
Villanova University Villanova University vs Fairfield University Fairfield University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of Miami University of Miami
Villanova University Villanova University vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
Villanova University Villanova University vs Emory University Emory University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Bradley University Bradley University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
Villanova University Villanova University vs Saint Xavier University Saint Xavier University
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Villanova University Villanova University vs Drake University Drake University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland
Villanova University Villanova University vs Mount St. Mary's University Mount St. Mary's University
Villanova University Villanova University vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Villanova University Villanova University vs Assumption University Assumption University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Babson College Babson College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Bentley University Bentley University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Boston College Boston College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Endicott College Endicott College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Stonehill College Stonehill College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Tufts University Tufts University
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of St Thomas University of St Thomas
Villanova University Villanova University vs Rowan University Rowan University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Seton Hall University Seton Hall University
Villanova University Villanova University vs The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey
Villanova University Villanova University vs Canisius College Canisius College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Fordham University Fordham University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Iona College Iona College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
Villanova University Villanova University vs St. John's University-New York St. John's University-New York
Villanova University Villanova University vs United States Military Academy United States Military Academy
Villanova University Villanova University vs Elon University Elon University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Wake Forest University Wake Forest University
Villanova University Villanova University vs University of Dayton University of Dayton
Villanova University Villanova University vs DeSales University DeSales University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Duquesne University Duquesne University
Villanova University Villanova University vs La Salle University La Salle University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College
Villanova University Villanova University vs Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Belmont University Belmont University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Lipscomb University Lipscomb University
Villanova University Villanova University vs Hampton University Hampton University