Pacific: the complete school report for parents

What does Pacific actually weigh in admissions?

Pacific rates 3 of the 18 factors "Very Important": GPA, the essay, extracurricular activities. It does not consider 5 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Pacific's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

68% of enrolled students had a 3.50 GPA or above. The average was 3.61 on a 4 scale, reported for 98.22% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

What is the Pacific waitlist really like?

Pacific offered a place on its waiting list to 273 applicants and 200 accepted one. 172 were ultimately admitted. That is 86.0% of those who waited.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

Pacific admitted 78.6% of 719 transfer applicants, against 69.0% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here. The minimum college GPA considered is 2.5.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

Pacific reports its early rounds below.

What will Pacific actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $25,447 a year at Pacific after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $57,824. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 78.61% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 201 merit awards averaging $29,458 to first-years with no demonstrated need.

52% of Pacific graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $21,992 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $207 a month in repayment. Pacific’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from Pacific pay off?

Graduates earn a median $78,445 ten years after entering, and $62,672 at six years. 88% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 73% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

$182,091 to $55,674, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at Pacific:

College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.

Will my child actually graduate?

85% of first-years return for a second year. 53% graduate within four years and 72% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 67.1% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 76.0% of everyone else, a gap of 8.9 points.

How big are the classes?

53% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 1% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1, and 55% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.

What is life at Pacific like?

3,097 undergraduates, 10.11% of first-years from out of state. 71.15% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 51.47% across all undergraduates. Greek life is small: 5.39% of men join a fraternity and 4.17% of women a sorority. 35% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $72,621.

What this means for your student

• 68% of enrolled students are at a 3.50 GPA or above, averaging 3.61. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• The waitlist is live but thin: 172 of 200 who waited were admitted, about 86%.
• Its highest-earning major returns $182,091 five years out against $55,674 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about Pacific

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