La Sierra University (LSU) in Riverside, California was founded in 1922 as part of the Southeastern California Conference Seventh-day Adventist co-educational program. This private religious university began as La Sierra Academy but was merged into Loma Linda University in 1967. In 1990 the university split away from Loma Linda and formed the independent La Sierra University. It was also briefly known as Southern California Junior College and La Sierra College throughout the school’s history.
Mission/Vision
LSU’s mission is to seek truth through scholarship, to know God through reflection, instruction and mentoring, and to serve others in both the local and global communities. The university encourages students to change the world as they learn. In order to achieve this goal the university provides service-learning courses that take in-class learning and applies it to helping the local community.
Campus Setting
The La Sierra University campus is located on a 150 acre suburban campus only an hour outside of Los Angeles. The campus holds award winning buildings including its new business college built in 2012. The American Public Gardens Association classifies the university grounds as an arboretum with more than 100 species of trees spread throughout the campus.
Academics
LSU has approximately 2,048 undergraduate students and 345 graduate students, with a population of 47 percent male students and 53 percent female. Nearly 17 percent of the student population are international students, with more than 40 countries represented on campus. LSU offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs with over 50 undergraduate degree programs, 35 graduate and credential programs and 27 pre-professional programs. The academic calendar is set up on a quarter system with fall being the primary enrollment quarter. The university has over 100 full time faculty with a student to faculty ratio of 16 to 1 and an average class size of 20 students.
Athletics
La Sierra University athletic teams play as the Golden Eagles and are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Association of Independent Institutions. More recently the school competes under the California Pacific Conference. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball and soccer, and women’s sports include basketball, softball and volleyball. Along with sports teams the university provides a fitness center to its students and the community including a 25 yard, 6 lane swimming pool.
Tuition & Financial Aid
Undergraduate tuition for full time students at LSU is $9,324 per quarter, or $27,972 per year. Graduate tuition is $716 per unit. This does not include additional fees or the cost of room and board if choosing to live on campus. As an accredited college, FSU offers state, federal and private loans, grants and scholarships to students that qualify. An estimated 78 percent of full time undergraduate students qualify for some form of aid to help with educational costs.
Accreditation
Accreditation
La Sierra University is accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Adventist Accrediting Association.
Admissions
Admission to La Sierra University is semi-competitive. Applicants must submit a completed online application, the $30 application fee and an SAT or ACT score. Applications deadlines for fall semester are due by July 1st with SAT or ACT scores required by August 15.
For more information about admissions to La Sierra University contact the school directly at:
admissions@lasierra.edu
Admission Office
4500 Riverwalk Parkway,
Riverside, CA 92515
Phone: 951-785-2176
http://lasierra.edu/admissions/
