Private nonprofit · University
Biola University
La Mirada, California · Large suburb
- 74.4%
- Admit rate
- $31,495
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $56,778
- Median earnings
Biola University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in La Mirada, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 3,474 undergraduates. It has a Undenominational religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Biola University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 74.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1160–1370
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.56
Enter a test score to see where you land against Biola University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Biola University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About La Mirada, California
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities, on the border with Orange County. La Mirada (Spanish for the look) was the creation of two men, Andrew McNally, a printer and mapmaker from Chicago (see Rand McNally) and his son-in-law Edwin Neff. In 1888, McNally purchased over 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of Rancho Los Coyotes, south of Whittier, for $200,000. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to Los Angeles, CA
- To the ocean
- 13 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub
How Biola University compares
More selective than 56% · #51 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 73%
Higher than 74% · #53 of 122 in California
Higher than 73%
Higher than 59% · #95 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 13% · #80 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 46%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 72%
Percentiles compare Biola University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,47464%
- Graduate1,95336%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,32067%
- Men1,15433%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White39%
- Black3.2%
- Hispanic24%
- Asian13%
- Other or multiracial20%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,474
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,953
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 24%
- Students over 25
- 8%
- Median family income
- $60,489
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $93,024
- Endowment
- $141,349,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 753 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California65%
- Other U.S. states29%
- International6.4%
A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from California, the rest from elsewhere.
6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 74.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1160–1370
- SAT average
- 1261
- SAT reading
- 600–700
- SAT math
- 560–670
- ACT composite
- 24–29
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.56
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $48,984
- Room & board
- $13,130
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $62,757
- Average net price
- $31,495
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 54%
- First-year retention
- 84%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,752
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $56,778
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,875
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 70%
About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,773
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 80%
- Application fee
- $45
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 396 (201 men · 195 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 12
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (5,434 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$26,825/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Biola University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,726. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 694 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $56,778
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,875
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 42%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,848 (23%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 46°F
- Annual rain
- 11.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fullerton Muni AP, CA US station (3.1 mi from campus).
What Biola University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Biola University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Biola University side by side →
Hope College
Holland, Michigan · Small city · 25 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 3,288
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1249
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $58k
Endicott College
Beverly, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 17 mi to Boston
- Students
- 3,125
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1274
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 4 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 2,997
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1256
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $56k
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 10 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 2,259
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1236
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $54k
Florida Southern College
Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city · 32 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 2,656
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1252
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $55k
Mercer University
Macon, Georgia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Macon
- Students
- 4,500
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1271
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Biola University
Beyond 21st Century Beauty Academy
Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 120 students
Southern California University of Health Sciences
Whittier, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 158 students
California Prestige University
Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 55 students
Medical Allied Career Center
Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 48 students
ATI College-Whittier
Whitter, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 149 students
ABC Adult School
Cerritos, CA · Public · Certificate · 173 students
Grace Mission University
Fullerton, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 68 students
Angeles Institute
ARTESIA, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 113 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














