La Sierra University vs. McPherson College

La Sierra University vs. McPherson College comparison

	La Sierra University	McPherson College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Location	Riverside, CA	McPherson, KS
Setting	Large City	Remote Town
Enrollment	1,611	788
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#661
Religious Affiliation	Seventh Day Adventists	Church of Brethren	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	lasierra.edu	mcpherson.edu
Team Colors

Costs	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Tuition (In State)	$34,920	$34,072
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,920	$34,072
Room & Board	$11,670	$10,322
Avg Net Price	$28,076	$25,490
Avg Grant Aid	$21,762	$22,929
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	100%

Admission	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,238	1,209
Admitted	2,088	1,013
Acceptance Rate	93.3%	83.8%
Enrolled %	12.4%	23.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.54	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Moderate	Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	18/28	17/24
SAT Range	880/1140	936/1126
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	13:1
Popular Majors	Biology (24%) Business (23%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Psychology (9%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%)	Business (22%) Engineering Technology (16%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Education (8%)
Outcomes	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Graduation Rate	32%	46%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$51,900	$44,200
Making Student Loan Payments	52%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$30,000	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$310	$268

Diversity	La Sierra University	McPherson College
% Men	9%	0%
% Women	14%	0%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	14%	70%
% Black	6%	10%
% Hispanic	48%	12%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	2%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	2%
% International	11%	4%
% Unknown Race	0%	0%

Students	La Sierra University	McPherson College
% In-State	84%	27%
% Out-of-State	9%	69%
Campus	La Sierra University	McPherson College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• La Sierra University is larger than than McPherson College based on total student enrollment (1,611 students vs. 788 students)

La Sierra University vs. McPherson College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, La Sierra University or McPherson College?

• La Sierra University is 2.5% more expensive to attend than McPherson College for in-state tuition ($34,920.00 vs. $34,072.00)
• Out of state tuition is 2.5% higher at La Sierra University than McPherson College ($34,920.00 vs. $34,072.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at McPherson College than La Sierra University ($25,490 vs. $28,076)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at McPherson College are 13.1% lower than costs at La Sierra University ($10,322 vs. $11,670)
• More students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College than La Sierra University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by McPherson College students is 5.4% larger than aid received La Sierra University ($22,929 vs. $21,762)

La Sierra University vs. McPherson College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, La Sierra University or McPherson College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between McPherson College or La Sierra University .

• The average SAT score at McPherson College (940) is 11 points higher than at La Sierra University (929)
• Incoming McPherson College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (20) than students at La Sierra University (19)
• Accepted freshman La Sierra University students have a 0.21 point higher average high school GPA (3.54) than students at McPherson College (3.33)
• La Sierra University has a higher acceptance rate (93.3%) than McPherson College (83.8%)

La Sierra University vs. McPherson College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, La Sierra University or McPherson College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between McPherson College and La Sierra University.

• The graduation rate at McPherson College is higher than La Sierra University (46% vs. 32%)
• Graduates from La Sierra University earn on average $7,700 more per year than McPherson College graduates after ten years. ($51,900 vs. $44,200)
• McPherson College students graduate with a $4,000 lower median federal student loan debt than La Sierra University graduates. ($26,000 vs. $30,000)
• McPherson College graduates are paying $42 less per month on federal student loans than La Sierra University graduates. ($268 vs. $310)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former La Sierra University students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 52%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/