Washington Adventist University vs. Cairn

Washington Adventist University vs. Cairn University comparison

	Washington Adventist University	Cairn University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Location	Takoma Park, MD	Langhorne, PA
Setting	Large Suburban	Large Suburban
Enrollment	671	1,031
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	wau.edu	cairn.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Tuition (In State)	$23,400	$31,255
Tuition (Out of State)	$23,400	$31,255
Room & Board	$10,440	$11,764
Avg Net Price	$17,088	$25,923
Avg Grant Aid	$15,534	$18,376
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	96%

Admission	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,223	468
Admitted	629	379
Acceptance Rate	51.4%Open	81%
Enrolled %	9.4%Open	53.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.24	3.31
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Unavailable
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range
SAT Range
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 1, 2025

Academics	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Student to Faculty Ratio	6:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (45%) Business (13%) Psychology (12%) Education (11%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%)	Philosophy and Religious Studies (71%) Education (13%) Business (8%) Human Services (6%) Visual and Performing Arts (2%)
Outcomes	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Graduation Rate	27%	63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$47,900	$37,000
Making Student Loan Payments	39%	69%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,039	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$269	$279

Diversity	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
% Men	35%	47%
% Women	65%	53%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	16%	72%
% Black	49%	14%
% Hispanic	11%	7%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	1%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	2%
% International	2%	2%
% Unknown Race	13%	0%

Students	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
% In-State	56%	60%
% Out-of-State	44%	36%
Campus	Washington Adventist University	Cairn
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Cairn University is larger than than Washington Adventist University based on total student enrollment (1,031 students vs. 671 students)

Washington Adventist University vs. Cairn Cost Comparison

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

• Cairn University is 33.6% more expensive to attend than Washington Adventist University for in-state tuition ($31,255.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• Out of state tuition is 33.6% higher at Cairn than Washington Adventist University ($31,255.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Washington Adventist University than Cairn ($17,088 vs. $25,923)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Washington Adventist University are 12.7% lower than costs at Cairn University ($10,440 vs. $11,764)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Washington Adventist University than Cairn University (100% vs. 96%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Cairn University students is 18.3% larger than aid received Washington Adventist University ($18,376 vs. $15,534)

Washington Adventist University vs. Cairn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Cairn University (976) is 155 points higher than at Washington Adventist University (821)
• Incoming Cairn students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at Washington Adventist University (18)
• Accepted freshman Cairn students have a 0.07 point higher average high school GPA (3.31) than students at Washington Adventist University (3.24)
• Cairn has a higher acceptance rate (81%) than Washington Adventist University (51.4%)

Washington Adventist University vs. Cairn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Cairn is higher than Washington Adventist University (63% vs. 27%)
• Graduates from Washington Adventist University earn on average $10,900 more per year than Cairn graduates after ten years. ($47,900 vs. $37,000)
• Washington Adventist University students graduate with a $961 lower median federal student loan debt than Cairn graduates. ($26,039 vs. $27,000)
• Washington Adventist University graduates are paying $10 less per month on federal student loans than Cairn graduates. ($269 vs. $279)
• More Cairn graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Washington Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (69% vs. 39%)

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