La Sierra University

La Sierra University logo
#3288 / #858
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#1278
Most Desirable School
Seventh-day Adventist university in Riverside, California, United States

La Sierra University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#858
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
92%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$38,862
Graduation rate
52%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
1,116

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

La Sierra University Featured Rankings

About La Sierra University

According to Wikipedia, La Sierra University is a private, Seventh-day Adventist university in Riverside, California. Founded in 1922 as La Sierra Academy, it later became La Sierra College, a liberal arts college, and then was merged into Loma Linda University in 1967 and became the Loma Linda University La Sierra College of Arts and Sciences . In 1990, the La Sierra Campus separated from Loma Linda University to become La Sierra University, an independent institution. It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission , the Adventist Accrediting Association , and several discipline-based accrediting bodies.

La Sierra University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
2,23892%77%52%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does La Sierra University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$38,862
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$21,448
30K - 48K$19,323
48K - 75K$20,276
75K - 110K$22,983
110K+$27,957

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do La Sierra University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former La Sierra University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $65,403 a year, and 90% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

La Sierra University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
1,9171,413504

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is La Sierra University?

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, CA 92505-8247.

How Safe is La Sierra University?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, La Sierra University publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, La Sierra University has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.57%. Riverside has a violent crime rate of 0.59% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.89%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is La Sierra University Known For?

La Sierra University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

La Sierra University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much La Sierra University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Medical
#1232
World Rank
#1237
Historical Rank
#345
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #345 in the U.S. and #1232 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Social Work
#914
World Rank
#917
Historical Rank
#361
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #361 in the U.S. and #914 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Psychology
#1367
World Rank
#1381
Historical Rank
#529
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #529 in the U.S. and #1367 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Nursing
#1643
World Rank
#1644
Historical Rank
#629
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #629 in the U.S. and #1643 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Religious Studies
#3006
World Rank
#3022
Historical Rank
#669
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #669 in the U.S. and #3006 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Biology
#3196
World Rank
#3219
Historical Rank
#734
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #734 in the U.S. and #3196 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Philosophy
#2841
World Rank
#2881
Historical Rank
#861
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #861 in the U.S. and #2841 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Literature
#2619
World Rank
#2663
Historical Rank
#870
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #870 in the U.S. and #2619 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Criminal Justice
#1947
World Rank
#1951
Historical Rank
#1015
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1015 in the U.S. and #1947 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Computer Science
#4596
World Rank
#4602
Historical Rank
#1047
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1047 in the U.S. and #4596 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Education
#4676
World Rank
#4683
Historical Rank
#1107
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1107 in the U.S. and #4676 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
History
#3681
World Rank
#3697
Historical Rank
#1146
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1146 in the U.S. and #3681 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Business
#4360
World Rank
#4362
Historical Rank
#1178
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1178 in the U.S. and #4360 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Chemistry
#5202
World Rank
#5212
Historical Rank
#1282
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1282 in the U.S. and #5202 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Communications
#5674
World Rank
#5692
Historical Rank
#1508
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1508 in the U.S. and #5674 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Sociology
#5742
World Rank
#5745
Historical Rank
#1953
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #1953 in the U.S. and #5742 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Economics
#8982
World Rank
#8983
Historical Rank
#2192
USA Rank

La Sierra University ranks #2192 in the U.S. and #8982 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees

Who Are La Sierra University's Most Influential Alumni?

Gary Chartier
Gary Chartier
An American legal scholar.
Frank Jobe
Frank Jobe
An American orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic .