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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,474 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

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
To the ocean
13 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub

How Biola University compares

Selectivity74.4%

More selective than 56% · #51 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1261

Higher than 73%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #53 of 122 in California

First-year retention84%

Higher than 73%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,778

Higher than 59% · #95 of 130 in California

Average net price$31,495

Cheaper than 13% · #80 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$23,875

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment3,474

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

5,427students
  • Undergraduate3,47464%
  • Graduate1,95336%

Undergraduates by gender

3,474undergrads
  • 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)

All students
54%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
56%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)85
Soccer68
Water Polo50
Swimming and Diving (combined)49
Baseball42
Basketball31
Softball20
Volleyball20
Tennis18
Golf13

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.

7.7reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Rape
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.3

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.

< $30k
$27,144
$30–48k
$25,410
$48–75k
$26,825
$75–110k
$29,846
$110k+
$37,314

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.

Est. total to a degree
$115,306

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,726
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$52,415
Men
$64,263

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

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.53.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fullerton Muni AP, CA US station (3.1 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Biola University

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.