Pacific Lutheran University
Basic Information
Type
Private, Liberal Arts
Geographical Reach
Regional
Religious Affiliation
Lutheran (ELCA)
Location
Tacoma, WA
Population
1,500,000
Website
http://www.plu.edu/
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
2,350
Men / Women
36% / 64%
White
49%
Hispanic
16%
Asian
12%
Mixed
10%
Black
5%
International
5%
Native American
3%
From State
84%
From Region
4%
Academics
Undergraduate Degrees
Health Sciences
29%
Business & Economics
11%
Arts
10%
Life & Natural Sciences
8%
Physical Sciences & Math
7%
Computer Science
4%
Education
4%
Financial
Tuition & Fees
$52,254
Est. Cost of Attendance
$62,459
10-Year ROI
$186,000
ROI Percentile
76th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
82%
4-Year Graduation Rate
41%
6-Year Graduation Rate
69%
Transfer-Out Rate
24%
Weather
Comfortable Days
130 (95% 😎)
Sunshine Hours
2,169 (5% 🌧️)
Days Without Precipitation
213 (9% ☔)
Admissions
Uses Common App
Yes
Acceptance Rate
88%
Yield (Unbound)
14%
Regular Decision
Jan 1
Research
Research Level
—
Graduate Degrees
| Engineering, Computing & Math | 0 | #258 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | 17 | #436 |
| Humanities & Social Sciences | 0 | #575 |
Honors College
Standardized Tests
Test Scores
Test Policy
optional
Submitted Test Scores
17%
SAT Range
1080
–
1220
SAT Math Range
500
–
600
SAT RW Range
540
–
660
ACT Range
22
–
28
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Arts and Sciences | 370 | 35% / 65% | 1% | $56,749 | 95% | ||
| Computer Science | 23 +1 | 74% / 26% | 0% | $90,358 | 91 | — | |
| Chemistry | 12 +2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $58,793 | 43 | 100% | |
| Computational and Applied Mathematics | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $83,038 | 86 | — | |
| Geosciences | 5 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $63,740 | 57 | 91% | |
| Mathematics | 13 — | 54% / 46% | 0% | $79,444 | 83 | 94% | |
| Physics | 13 +1 | 62% / 38% | 8% | $74,075 | 76 | — | |
| Biology | 43 +1 | 16% / 84% | 2% | $49,616 | 17 | 96% | |
| Environmental Studies | 6 +2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $52,007 | 24 | — | |
| Kinesiology | 40 — | 32% / 68% | 0% | $61,136 | 50 | 96% | |
| Economics | 7 +1 | 86% / 14% | 0% | $63,519 | 56 | 100% | |
| Anthropology | 3 — | 67% / 33% | 0% | $43,199 | 7 | 88% | |
| Communication Studies | 27 — | 44% / 56% | 4% | $59,869 | 47 | 94% | |
| Creative Writing | 10 +1 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $45,374 | 10 | 91% | |
| Criminology | 17 +1 | 65% / 35% | 0% | $56,616 | 37 | — | |
| English | 9 +1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $46,020 | 11 | — | |
| Ethnic Studies | 5 +1 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $48,439 | 15 | — | |
| French | — +1 | — | — | $42,505 | 6 | — | |
| German | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $42,575 | 7 | — | |
| History | 14 +2 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $61,451 | 51 | 88% | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 3 +3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $45,541 | 10 | 95% | |
| International/Global Studies | — +5 | — | — | $52,198 | 24 | — | |
| Italian Studies | — — | — | — | $47,988 | 14 | — | |
| Philosophy | 1 +1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $47,124 | 12 | — | |
| Political Science | 10 +3 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $67,979 | 66 | 95% | |
| Psychology | 24 +4 | 12% / 88% | 0% | $52,603 | 25 | 96% | |
| Religion | 2 +7 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $46,938 | 12 | — | |
| Scandinavian Studies | 2 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $48,206 | 14 | — | |
| Social Work | 18 +1 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $58,933 | 44 | 88% | |
| Sociology | 9 +1 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $58,698 | 43 | 100% | |
| Spanish | 4 +1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $35,921 | 3 | 100% | |
| Music | 14 — | 71% / 29% | 0% | $39,968 | 5 | 96% | |
| Studio Art | 21 +2 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $27,811 | 1 | 96% | |
| Theatre | 13 — | 23% / 77% | 0% | $43,570 | 8 | 100% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of Business | 58 | 45% / 55% | 3% | $70,355 | 97% | ||
| Business Administration | 58 — | 45% / 55% | 3% | $70,355 | 70 | 97% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of Education | 35 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $70,221 | 99% | ||
| Elementary Education | 22 — | 18% / 82% | 0% | $62,293 | 53 | 98% | |
| Music Education | 13 — | 23% / 77% | 0% | $83,640 | 86 | 100% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of Nursing | 132 | 16% / 84% | 2% | $86,344 | 98% | ||
| Nursing | 132 — | 16% / 84% | 2% | $86,344 | 88 | 98% |