- TypeUniversities
- LocationRiverside, The United States
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La Sierra University is a Christian university of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Riverside, Southern California, United States. The church founded it in 1922, and today it has more than 2,300 students on a 150-acre campus. Faith is integrated into teaching and student life. According to the university, the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges guide ranks it No. 1 among regional universities in the West for social mobility.
It offers more than 120 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees: over 80 undergraduate, 35 graduate and over 20 pre-health programmes, some of them online. Many pre-health students go on to medical studies at nearby Loma Linda University. Teaching is organised in:
- Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business
- School of Education
- H.M.S. Richards Divinity School
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Division of Continuing Studies
The university is approved to enrol F-1 visa students, and its Office of International Student Services (OISS) helps international students and their families. Applicants whose English scores are too low can join the English Language and American Culture (ESL) programme. Admission is rolling, the application is free, and students can live in the campus dormitories.
Not available
Private University
Not available
, Riverside, CA, The United States, 92505-8247
La Sierra University has over 80 undergraduate programmes (bachelor's majors and minors) and over 20 pre-health programmes. Examples:
- Business, including Sports Management
- Film and Television Production, Animation, Graphic Design and Fine Art
- Music, including Performance, Composition and Music Education
- Exercise Science (Kinesiology; Fitness and Coaching)
- English, History, Global Studies and Philosophy
- Pre-professional programmes such as Optometry (Pre-Health) and Pre-Seminary
La Sierra offers 35 graduate programmes, including master's and doctoral degrees. Examples named on the admissions pages are the MA in English, the MFA in Fine Arts, a PhD in Leadership and programmes of the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School. Applicants use the La Sierra Online Application; requirements vary by programme, and those below the minimum GPA may be asked for GRE/GMAT scores and extra recommendation letters.
International applicants submit secondary-school (or college) transcripts, English proficiency scores and a copy of a valid passport; ACT or SAT scores are optional. First-year applicants need a minimum GPA of 2.75, and country information sheets explain the requirements for each education system. The application is free.
After admission, students complete the pre-I-20 process with the Office of International Student Services: a bank statement no older than 30 days, an affidavit of support if there are other sponsors, a passport copy, a US$3,000 international student deposit and a US$100 processing fee.
Minimum English scores for undergraduate and graduate programmes (tests less than two years old):
- TOEFL: 79 iBT or 550 paper-based (ITP not accepted)
- IELTS: 6.5
- Duolingo: 120
- Michigan EPT: 62
- iTEP: 3.6
Native English speakers can instead show proof of English-medium education. Students with lower scores can only enrol in the English Language and American Culture (ESL) programme.
Admission is rolling. Deadlines for issuing the I-20 form to international students, by quarter:
- 2026-27 academic year: fall 7 August, winter 27 November, spring 26 February, summer 8 May
- 2027-28 academic year: fall 8 August, winter 26 November, spring 25 February, summer 7 May
Students transferring from another US institution with an active F-1 visa can submit I-20 documents until the first day of classes.