Key Takeaways:
- California Baptist University offers 16 Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs.
- The student-to-faculty ratio at CBU is 18:1. More than 50% of classes have fewer than 20 students.
- CBU is known for its Christ-centered education, which integrates academics with spiritual and social development. Graduates are known for their confidence, compassion, and competence.
- California Baptist has a fairly selective admissions process with an 80% acceptance rate. The graduation rate is 61%.
Degrees Offered at California Baptist University
California Baptist University appears in our ranking of the Top 25 PhD in Marketing Online Programs.
California Baptist University (CBU) offers degrees at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels, with instruction being both on campus and online. The student-to-instructor ratio for the university is 14:1. Its freshman retention rate comes in at over 75%, which means that most incoming students feel satisfied with what the school offers them.
Featured Programs
Popular majors on campus include exercise science and kinesiology, business, nursing, liberal studies, and psychology. Some of the school’s more interesting degrees include the Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy Studies, the Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management, the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, the Master of Architecture in Architecture, the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences and the Doctor of Social Work.
A number of its degrees are offered online, including the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and the Bachelor of Arts in Human Services.
About California Baptist University
California Baptist University was founded in 1950. It offers students a high-quality education based on sound academic principles and Christian values. One-hundred percent of the school’s staff are professing Christians.
Its 160-acre campus sits just a stone’s throw away from mountain resorts and local beaches. Student life is engaging here. In their free time, students can work out in the aquatic center, attend a show at the Wallace Theater or study in the Annie Gabriel Library.
The school also boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including the JoAnn Hawkins Music building and a 5,000 seat Events Center. US News and World Report ranks it 15th on its Best Undergraduate Teaching list, 25th on its Best Colleges for Veterans list and 43rd on its Regional Universities list.
California Baptist University Accreditation
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission provides accreditation for CBU.
California Baptist University Application Requirements
California Baptist College gets a number of different types of applicants from the incoming freshman to the student in a professional program. For many of these applicants, the process of applying is the same, which will be explained below. The differences between each type of application will also be explained below.
Incoming freshmen and transfer students need to:
- Fill out the university’s application.
- Pay the application fee of $45.
- Pen an essay about what they want to experience as a student of CBU.
- Submit school transcripts, either from high school or college.
- Take ACT or SAT, send scores to the school
Transfer students who have fewer than 60 college credits are also asked to send in their high school transcripts. Test SAT or ACT scores are not required for these students. However, the university does recommend that transfer students include them in their materials: Those scores help the university place the students. Students can apply year-round because California Baptist University has a rolling admissions policy.
International students have some additional requirements. The university requires that they submit their transcripts in English. The school suggests that these students use University Language Services. These students must also demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting a TOEFL, IELTS or a PTE test. In lieu of these tests, the school will accept an SAT score with at least 430 on the English portion or a 16 on the ACT English portion. They also have the option of taking the Cambridge English Assessment Exam or submitting transfer credits from another college. These grades must include the equivalent of the school English composition class. Proof of financial support is also required of international students.
Graduate students are required to submit documents that are similar to the documents that undergraduates submit. That said, each department has specific application requirements, which prospective students can learn more about by contacting the department in question.
Finally, the university is very veteran-friendly. There are a lot of resources earmarked for veterans. Incoming students who are veterans should talk to the admissions office to learn more.
Tuition and Financial Aid
CBU is a private university, which means its tuition costs for both graduate and undergraduate students are not dependent on where the student lives. In other words, the school has no in-state versus out-of-state tuition rates.
Undergraduates who take between 13 and 18 credits pay nearly $34,000 a year in tuition. They can count on paying nearly $11,000 for room and board expenses. University fees add an additional $2,300 or so on to the cost. In total, undergraduates can expect to pay nearly $47,000 a year to attend California Baptist University.
Graduate tuition rates vary, depending on the program. Tuition is charged per unit and can cost anywhere from $544 per unit to $1,200 per unit. The exception to this is the Physician Assistant program, which costs $13,333 per semester.
The university makes every effort to make a college education financially accessible to its students. Students can apply for financial aid in order to receive loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study monies.
The university has a number of university-wide scholarships, like the Trustees Scholarship, for incoming freshmen. These scholarships give students anywhere from $8,000 to $14,500 to put toward tuition for their freshmen year. Transfer students also have the opportunity to receive scholarships from CBU that range from $6,000 to $10,000.
Other CBU-based assistance includes the CBU Grant, which is determined by financial need, the Minister’s Kin scholarship that provides recipients with $3,250 per year and Multiple Sibling scholarship, which is good for $2,000 per year.
Individual departments also offer scholarships. For example, drama, journalism, engineering and architecture scholarships (to name but a few) are available, as are athletic scholarships.
Incoming students will also want to look at the private scholarships that are available to students through CBU. These students can also qualify for federal monies, like the Pell Grant or the Perkins Loan.
Additionally, CBU is very generous to veterans. The school offers Yellow Ribbon scholarships to veterans, and in some academic years, those scholarships are unlimited. The university further waives the application fee for vets to make applying less costly.
Undergraduate and graduate students who wish to qualify for financial aid must fill out the FAFSA. This helps the financial aid office determine what types of need-based financial aid programs that students qualify for.
Thinking about getting a degree? Look into the degrees at California Baptist University.