Pacific Lutheran University

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Colleges in Washington
• #1 Best Bachelor's Programs in Washington
• #1 Best Master's Programs in Washington
• #1 Best Nursing Colleges in Washington
• #2 Best Communications Colleges in Washington
• #3 Best Education Colleges in Washington
• #3 Best Biology Colleges in Washington
• #3 Best MBA Programs in Washington

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Pacific Lutheran University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Tacoma, Washington, Pacific Lutheran University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 78%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,168. The graduation rate is roughly 70%.

Acceptance Rate

78%

Retention Rate

82%

SAT Average

1168

ACT Midpoint

25

SAT Range

1040–1260

ACT Range

22–28

Full-Time Faculty

70%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$8,581

Student–Faculty Ratio

11:1

Diversity Index

0.73

First-Gen Students

30%

Applicants

3,334

Admitted

2,964

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Pacific Lutheran University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Pacific Lutheran University is $52,254, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $19,589. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,609 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $22,578 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$52,254

Out-of-State

$52,254

Avg Net Price

$19,589

Median Debt

$22,578

Pell Grant Rate

35%

Federal Loan Rate

44%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Pacific Lutheran University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Pacific Lutheran University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Pacific Lutheran University earn a median of $66,990, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$52,212

8 Years

$60,142

10 Years

$66,990

Debt-to-Earnings

0.34x

Earning > $25K

69%

Where Grads Go

Top employers of Pacific Lutheran University’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.

• MultiCare Health System ✓ Verified

  Healthcare & hospitals
• Franciscan Health System ✓ Verified

  Healthcare & hospitals

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Pacific Lutheran University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Pacific Lutheran University is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.94%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 3.3% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 28.8% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $100,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

0.94%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

28.8%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

3.3%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$137,088

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Pacific Lutheran University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Pacific Lutheran University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.74, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 10% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.74

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.02

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

10.4%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Pacific Lutheran University produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 26 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.61%

Top 37% nationally

Patents Produced

26

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

10

Downstream influence

Inventors From Low-Income

0.83%

Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$6,626,000

Investment Income

$-5,874,000

Top Programs

The fields Pacific Lutheran University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Health Professions 27% $81,837 early-career
• Business & Marketing 13% $55,317 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 9% $29,935 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 7% $33,980 early-career
• Social Sciences 5% $43,576 early-career
• Psychology 4% $44,027 early-career
• Communications 4% $40,898 early-career
• Physical Sciences 4% $43,782 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.