Pacific Lutheran University vs Whitman College

Pacific Lutheran University and Whitman College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in the Pacific Northwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Pacific Lutheran University, a private Lutheran university in Tacoma, Washington, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Whitman College's selective admissions (29%). While Whitman College, a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, excels in student satisfaction, with 94% of students reporting a positive experience. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Pacific Lutheran University	Whitman College
Overview
Location	Tacoma, Washington	Walla Walla, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	59.0%
Application fees	$55	$50
SAT range	1150 - 1376	1295 - 1455
ACT range	22 - 28	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	3,220	5,155
Total number of admissions given out	2,846	3,039
Admitted students who chose to enroll	510	477
Yield rate	17.9%	15.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$63,563	$71,982
Average net price	$23,568	$35,627
Tuition	$46,816	$55,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,330 Meal plan: $6,481	Room/dormitory: $6,080 Meal plan: $7,720
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $34,413	91.0% Average amount $30,781
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,091	42.0% Average amount $4,853
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $15,835	2.0% Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,373 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	1,559 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	333 Men 27.6% Women 72.4%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	65.0%
International students	1.3%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,369	886
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Washington California Oregon Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.4%	88.7%
Dropout rate	30.5%	1.6%
Transferred out	N/A	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,596 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $64,407 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $43,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,051 Year 2: $22,999 Year 3: $41,844 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: $27,584 Year 3: $39,355 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,868 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,472 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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