Pacific Lutheran University
A good fit for students who want accessible admissions and students who prefer a mid-size campus. no major red flags in the data. generous financial aid cuts net price well below sticker.
About This School
Pacific Lutheran University is a private nonprofit institution located in Tacoma, Washington with approximately 2,401 undergraduate students enrolled. Pacific Lutheran University has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 78%. The average net price after financial aid is $19,589 per year. The graduation rate is 69%, and the typical graduate earns $53,500 within 10 years of enrollment.
Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington, United States. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. PLU has approximately 2,700 students enrolled. As of 2023, the school employs approximately 238 full-time professors on the 156-acre (63 ha) woodland campus.
This small Lutheran university in the Tacoma area offers a genuinely accessible price point — median debt at graduation is just $17,074, which is well below average — and the campus community tends to be tight-knit with a faith-informed mission that resonates with the right student. The numbers tell a somewhat mixed story, though: a 71% graduation rate and 79% freshman retention suggest a meaningful share of students don't finish, which is worth probing in your campus visit. Worth considering if you want a small private school experience at a reasonable cost and aren't chasing a high-earning career field, but ask hard questions about academic support and what's driving that attrition.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 10% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Pacific Lutheran University graduates earn most above the national rate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($66,848 vs $47,382 nationally), and most below it in History ($43,685 vs $50,680).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 132 | $91,528 | $88,910 | +$2,618 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 70 | $75,576 | $68,257 | +$7,319 |
| Biology, General | 43 | $53,077 | $57,214 | −$4,137 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 41 | $52,113 | $54,562 | −$2,449 |
| Psychology, General | 41 | $55,118 | $50,706 | +$4,412 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 23 | $57,317 | $56,359 | +$958 |
| Social Work | 18 | $67,458 | $51,790 | +$15,668 |
| Sociology | 18 | $59,853 | $52,657 | +$7,196 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 16 | $44,459 | $39,775 | +$4,684 |
| History | 15 | $43,685 | $50,680 | −$6,995 |
| Political Science and Government | 15 | $69,366 | $63,293 | +$6,073 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 15 | $66,848 | $47,382 | +$19,466 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Solid return. Earnings outpace debt, though major choice matters.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2,401 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Pacific Lutheran University is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Pacific Lutheran University?
Pacific Lutheran University has an acceptance rate of 78%, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Is Pacific Lutheran University hard to get into?
Not especially. Pacific Lutheran University has an acceptance rate of 78%, so admissions are relatively accessible for applicants who meet the requirements.
How much does Pacific Lutheran University cost?
The average net price at Pacific Lutheran University is about $19,589 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Pacific Lutheran University?
Pacific Lutheran University has a graduation rate of 69%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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