SC vs. Washington Adventist University

Sterling College vs. Washington Adventist University comparison

	Sterling College	Washington Adventist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	SC	Washington Adventist University
Location	Sterling, KS	Takoma Park, MD
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	707	695
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	-	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	sterling.edu	wau.edu
Team Colors

Costs	SC	Washington Adventist University
Tuition (In State)	$30,000	$23,400
Tuition (Out of State)	$30,000	$23,400
Room & Board	$9,532	$10,440
Avg Net Price	$22,996	$16,732
Avg Grant Aid	$21,778	$17,861
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	98%

Admission	SC	Washington Adventist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	826	1,691
Admitted	438	767
Acceptance Rate	53%	45.4%Open
Enrolled %	32.4%	13.8%Open
Avg High School GPA	3.46	3.24
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition	Low	Low
ACT Range	18/24
SAT Range	938/1123	800/1100
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 17, 2025	Aug 1, 2025

Academics	SC	Washington Adventist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	7:1
Popular Majors	Education (26%) Business (22%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (11%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (8%) Philosophy and Religious Studies (6%)	Health Professions (45%) Business (13%) Psychology (12%) Education (11%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%)
Outcomes	SC	Washington Adventist University
Graduation Rate	48%	27%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$37,400	$47,900
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	39%
Median Student Loan Debt	$24,663	$26,039
Median Loan Payment	$255	$269

Diversity	SC	Washington Adventist University
% Men	2%	3%
% Women	2%	9%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	68%	16%
% Black	11%	49%
% Hispanic	15%	11%
% Native American	2%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	0%	1%
% International	0%	2%
% Unknown Race	3%	13%

Students	SC	Washington Adventist University
% In-State	42%	52%
% Out-of-State	54%	25%
Campus	SC	Washington Adventist University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Sterling College is larger than than Washington Adventist University based on total student enrollment (707 students vs. 695 students)

SC vs. Washington Adventist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, SC or Washington Adventist University?

• Sterling College is 28.2% more expensive to attend than Washington Adventist University for in-state tuition ($30,000.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• Out of state tuition is 28.2% higher at SC than Washington Adventist University ($30,000.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Washington Adventist University than SC ($16,732 vs. $22,996)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Sterling College are 9.5% lower than costs at Washington Adventist University ($9,532 vs. $10,440)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Sterling College than Washington Adventist University (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Sterling College students is 21.9% larger than aid received Washington Adventist University ($21,778 vs. $17,861)

SC vs. Washington Adventist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Sterling College (990) is 169 points higher than at Washington Adventist University (821)
• Incoming SC students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Washington Adventist University (18)
• Accepted freshman SC students have a 0.22 point higher average high school GPA (3.46) than students at Washington Adventist University (3.24)
• SC has a higher acceptance rate (53%) than Washington Adventist University (45.4%)

SC vs. Washington Adventist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, SC or Washington Adventist University? 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 Washington Adventist University and SC.

• The graduation rate at SC is higher than Washington Adventist University (48% vs. 27%)
• Graduates from Washington Adventist University earn on average $10,500 more per year than SC graduates after ten years. ($47,900 vs. $37,400)
• Sterling College students graduate with a $1,376 lower median federal student loan debt than Washington Adventist University graduates. ($24,663 vs. $26,039)
• SC graduates are paying $14 less per month on federal student loans than Washington Adventist University graduates. ($255 vs. $269)
• More SC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Washington Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (60% vs. 39%)

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