Affectionately called “SUA” by current students and alumni, Soka University of America is a nonprofit liberal arts college founded on Buddhist philosophies that teach sanctity of human rights, human life and peace. Launched during the fall of 1994 in Calabasas, California the Graduate School moved to its current location on the Aliso Viejo campus in 2007. The first 120 undergraduate freshman commenced classes at SUA in the fall of 2001.
SUA’s present student body comprises roughly 430 eager scholars from every nation, ethnic affiliation, race and religious denomination. This reflects the university’s strong commitment to maintain a culturally diverse educational environment.
Mission/Vision
Consistent with a mission it summarizes as “fostering a steady stream of global citizens committed to living contributive lives,” SUA subscribes to a philosophy of student-centric instruction. Faculty members share a common goal of preparing students for graduate study and professional employment in a diverse global society. That end is designed to instill a sense of global humanitarianism that promotes human rights and world peace.
Campus Setting
Situated on 103 acres in the City of Aliso Viejo, the SUA campus is surrounded by natural beauty within a brief one-mile walking distance from the beach. Located close to Orange County’s southern border midway between San Diego at the south and Los Angeles at the north, the campus forms the center of Southern California’s cultural, academic and sports adventure scenes.
Academics
Each SUA undergraduate earns a bachelor of liberal arts degree and may choose a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Environmental Studies, Humanities or International Studies. Completing graduate studies at SUA culminates with conferral of an MA in Educational Leadership and Social Change.
SUA lives up to its first name Soka that describes its core academic creed that means “creating value” in Japanese by giving undergrad freshmen a laptop and juniors one semester of study abroad at no additional cost.
Tuition/Financial Aid
Annual tuition at SUA is expensive, however, liberal economic assistance is available to both domestic and foreign students, including free tuition for those with gross annual family incomes below $60,000. Generous scholarship awards are available for those with higher family incomes and all eligible students may receive federal financial aid. Please refer to the school’s website for the most current tuition and financial aid information.
Athletics
SUA belongs to the Association of Independent Institutions and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The SUA Athletics mission is being a premier NAIA program and seeks to achieve that end by affording college athletes with athletic experiences of the highest quality with exceptional coaching, support and facilities among all small U.S. colleges.
Accreditation
Soka University of America holds full regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Commission.
Admission
Early and Regular Admission application deadlines for all students are November 1 and January 15 respectively. Undergraduate degree program applicants must pay a fee of $45 for paper forms or $30 for online application processing. NACAC and College Board application fee waivers are accepted and official high school or GED transcripts, two recommendation letters, a personal essay and SAT/ACT scores are also required.
SUA Graduate School applicants must have previously earned a bachelors degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and satisfactory GRE scores. The latter requirement must have been met within five years prior to application date. All applicants who are not native English speakers must also supply recent TOEFL scores.
For more information about Soka University of America admission, contact the school directly at:
Undergraduate Admissions – admission@soka.edu
Graduate Admissions – grad admissions@soka.edu
1 University Drive
Founders Hall, 2nd Floor
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Phone: (949) 480-4150 or (888)600-7652
Fax: (949) 480-4151
