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Is La Sierra University worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for La Sierra, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Heavy lift
La Sierra lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $45,566 in yearly net price and $27,000 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $61,824. For context, La Sierra's net price runs about 23% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$28,076
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $5,239 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $21,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$45,566
Median earnings 10 years out
$61,824
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Graduation rate
64%
At La Sierra, a typical graduate carries about $27,000 in student debt and earns roughly $61,824 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $307 per month, or 6% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
La Sierra is a private nonprofit four year school in Riverside, CA. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
Worth-It Score: 31/100
Median net price: $46,080
Private nonprofit 4-year
Chapman
Orange, CA
Worth-It Score: 51/100
Median net price: $46,555
Private nonprofit 4-year
Loyola Marymount
Los Angeles, CA
Worth-It Score: 56/100
Median net price: $48,381
Private nonprofit 4-year
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $48,661
Private nonprofit 4-year
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA
Worth-It Score: 27/100
Median net price: $42,505
Common questions about La Sierra
The median net price at La Sierra is $45,566 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in California? See the most affordable private colleges in California →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →