In terms of number of applications, admission rate, and yield, it is very similar to a couple of pretty similar colleges: Villanova and Loyola Marymount.
I work in tech in the Valley. I work with a number of outstanding SCU engineers. We have a lot of family ties to the institution. Having said that, S got a full tuition merit package from a different (and comparably-ranked) Jesuit school, so he’s finding it very difficult to keep SCU on his list as a possibility for this fall - for A&S, not Engineering, but still. It’s a wonderful place. I’m pleased to see SCU on coworkers’ and intern candidates’ paperwork, as I know they’ll have had a rigorous education in many areas besides just engineering. They have to learn to write and communicate well, which is not the case at all Engineering schools. Their religious affiliation is immaterial, but there is something about the Jesuit philosophy of “cura personalis” - care for the entire person - that tends to produce grads who are compassionate human beings, too.
(Edit: I suppose “immaterial” isn’t quite the right word, as it is VERY material for why SCU has the culture that it has, and works to build. They just are unconcerned about whether students of different faith traditions - or none at all - are there. It’s a very welcoming and diverse place.)
And despite the full tuition offer elsewhere, if S ultimately decides that he wants to take the very minimal aid from SCU, we would figure out a way to make that work. I’m not sure I’d say the same about all of his potential schools.
YMMV, but that’s my perspective.
We are from NYC and my son loved it. Hopes to get in as it is his first choice - and he has a 32 act so options.
Jesuits are pretty cool and often teeter on getting kicked out of the religion by the more conservative elements. II think the president of Loyola has gotten himself in hot water on more than one occasion. There is zero for you to worry about at the institutional level, and probably any other level for that matter.
Santa Clara U has a very good reputation in the Bay Area.
I always considered its peers to be schools like University of San Francisco, St.Marys, Pacific. Not Berkeley.
I know about half-a-dozen SCU grads, and none are religious.
Don’t forget that Steve Nash went to SCU.
SCU has great reputation particularly in engineering, business, and obviously law. I wouldn’t compare SCU to USF or St. Mary’s since they don’t offer engineering and are known as liberal art schools, with USF being big on nursing. Pacific is smaller and in Stockton, less well known for sure. SCU has strong industry connections in Silicon Valley. Good alternative for engineering in the Bay Area if you don’t want to deal with public school issues of size, demographics, giant classes, or the area like in Berkeley’s case. I know plenty of 4.6 types that chose SCU over UCB. SCU and USC engineering comparable, just very different schools in different ends of CA. Of course there is that little school called Stanford just up the road…but don’t think anything compares to that.
I think SCU is most like University of San Diego.
Generally it is hard to compare any school to another because there is too many factors to consider, like location, programs, students, private/public, etc. imo, USD felt very Roman Catholic in population and architecture, where SCU, even though it has the Mission on campus, otherwise doesn’t. Also USD has a very small engineering program and CS sits within the math department, where at SCU it is one of its stronger well known programs. USD gives more merit, particularly to STEM majors, to draw people to their smaller program. Also, SCU known for not being generous with merit $ because they don’t have to be it seems.