The city of Los Angeles is known as home to the rich and famous and a place that attracts millions of creative people looking to build successful careers. But that’s not all. The city is also recognized as one of the international hubs for education. Being home to over 200 great colleges and universities, LA is indeed a perfect study destination.
So, what schools are available to you if you live or move to LA? Since the city is quite large, it is important to consider options by their specific locations. In this article, we will help you explore some of the best higher education facilities located specifically near Pacific Palisades, one of the city’s best-known neighborhoods in the Westside region.
- University of California
Founded in 1919, the University of California, Los Angeles, is one of the oldest and most reputable schools in the area. It is only 5,9 miles away from Pacific Palisades, which makes it a quick drive. And it is also worth noting that, according to U.S. News, UCLA is ranked #20 among the best universities in the country. So, it is definitely an option worth considering.
Given the excellent ranking and reputation of this facility, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that its acceptance rate is only 14,3% as of 2020. The school is very selective, so getting into it can be somewhat challenging. But luckily, you can always pay for essay at EssayPro and get a flawless admission essay that will boost your chances for success. And, you will need to demonstrate good school records, too.
One way or another, UCLA is known to perform great across all widely accepted indicators of excellence. It is also known for its fairly affordable price. In fact, it is ranked #4 in the country by the value for money it offers. So, if you are ambitious and good-performing, you should give it a shot.
- University of Santa Monica
In case you are looking for something not very traditional, then this school might be a good option for you. Located only 3.5 miles away from Pacific Palisades, the University of Santa Monica offers degree programs in such unusual but popular areas as Spiritual Psychology, Health & Healing, Coaching, etc.
The school is not too big. The program duration varies from 2 weeks to 4 years, with an average duration of 2 years. The duration of the program, as well as the price, depends on the selected qualification.
Probably one of the biggest benefits of this facility is its cost. The cost of attendance ranges from $495 to $25,000, which makes it one of the top 10% of schools for overall value, according to College Factual. Due to a fairly low cost, the majority of full-time students from this facility say that they were able to afford their education themselves.
- ORT College
The next option on our list is located 12,1 miles away from Pacific Palisades, so it will take longer to get there from the neighborhood. But, it has a number of perks that make it a good school to consider.
First of all, it is worth noting that ORT is a small, private, not-for-profit institution. The total enrollment of this college is only 119 undergraduate students. But, the good news is that its acceptance and graduation rates are both 100%. This basically means that this school is very easy to get into and very easy to graduate from.
The highest degree you can get here is an associate degree. The academic year at ORT is program-based. Some of the most popular programs that you can enroll in include Management, Business, Marketing, Journalism, Communication, Health Professions, and others.
- Los Angeles Trade Technical College
The next school is also a bit more distant from Pacific Palisades than others (16,5 miles), but if you were looking for a good technical college, this might be an option worth looking at. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public institution with a total enrollment of 13,357.
The academic year at this facility is semester-based. The student-faculty ratio is 20-to-1. And the highest degree you can earn here is an associate’s degree.
The three big benefits of this school are its wide selection of courses, fairly low cost, and an open admissions policy. First of all, an open admissions policy implies that it is rather easy to get accepted to Los Angeles Trade Technical College as the school offers credit for life experiences. The cost ranges between $1,220 and $7,746 with no application fee. Finally, the degree programs offered by this facility span over 25 different fields, so there are plenty of options to choose from.
- Pepperdine University
One more school you can consider if you live in the Pacific Palisades area is Pepperdine University. It is a private higher education facility that was founded in 1937 and is located 9,7 miles away from the neighborhood. As of 2020, this school had a total enrollment of 3,459 undergraduate students with a campus size of 830 acres.
One of the biggest highlights of Pepperdine University is that it ranks #49 among the best schools in the country, so the quality of education provided here is high. The acceptance rate is 42%, which makes it less selective than UCLA but still somewhat picky compared to the other schools on this list.
The biggest drawback of this option is the price. The average cost of tuition and fees students pay at Pepperdine University is $59,702. Therefore, compared to other schools we shared with you earlier on this list, it is the most expensive one.
- Santa Monica College
Finally, the last one on our list is Santa Monica College. This school is located only 4,1 miles away from Pacific Palisades, which means that it takes less than 10 minutes to get here by car. So, if you are living in this neighborhood and looking for a good college nearby, this might be a good pick.
The first thing that you should know about Santa Monica College is that it is a public institution with a total enrollment of 28,800 undergraduate students, so it is a fairly large college. The student-faculty ratio here is 30-to-1 and the academic year is semester-based.
Another thing you need to know about this option is that this facility also has an open admissions policy and offers credit for different life experiences, which means that students can easily get accepted.
As for the cost, there is no application fee, and the cost of attendance can range between $1,142 and $8,918, which is very affordable. And lastly, Santa Monica College offers degree programs in 20+ fields, including Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business, General Studies, Humanities, etc.
The Bottom Line
When you live (or move to) in a city so big and famous as Los Angeles, finding the perfect college or university to attend can be a real challenge because there are so many different options.
Hopefully, this article will help you get on the right track. Now that you have discovered some of the best schools in LA near the Pacific Palisades area, all that is left for you to do is to define which option suits your needs best. Good luck!
