Pacific University
A good fit for students who want accessible admissions and students who want small classes and close faculty access. no major red flags in the data. financial aid brings net price below sticker.
Photo by GeneWright, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.
About This School
Pacific University is a private nonprofit institution located in Forest Grove, Oregon with approximately 1,516 undergraduate students enrolled. Pacific University has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 90%. The average net price after financial aid is $35,273 per year. The graduation rate is 67%, and the typical graduate earns $51,400 within 10 years of enrollment.
Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is 23 miles (37 km) west of Portland. The school maintains one other campus, in Hillsboro, and an office in Portland, and has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students. The university has Oregon's only optometry school, and offers doctorates in 14 programs. Pacific competes in NCAA Division III as part of the Northwest Conference, with its teams known as the Boxers.
The numbers tell a mixed story here — a 65% graduation rate and 76% freshman retention suggest a meaningful share of students either leave or don't finish, which is worth asking about directly. On the positive side, debt at graduation is relatively modest at $17,036, and the optometry and health sciences programs are genuinely distinctive, with Oregon's only optometry school giving pre-health students a real pipeline advantage. Worth considering if you're drawn to a small campus near Portland with professional health program goals, but come with questions about academic support and what's driving that retention gap.
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: -13% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
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 (1,516 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
Other Schools in Oregon
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University of Oregon
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Portland Community College
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Portland State University
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Chemeketa Community College
Salem, OR · Public
Lane Community College
Eugene, OR · Public
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.
Photo by GeneWright, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.
- 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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