College · Private nonprofit · Tacoma, WA · Suburb
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA
Religious affiliation
Admit rate78%
6-yr median pay$52k
Net price / yr$20k
Undergrad size2,401
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $20k/yr for a shot at a $52k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 78% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1168 · ACT 25.
If you get in
2,401 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $62k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $20k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$250k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$78k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$171k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.5x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $52.3k
- Room & board
- $13.0k
- Books & supplies
- $785
How students pay for it.
Pell grants35%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans44%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr69%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$52k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$67k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out25%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,401
- Location
- Tacoma, WA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, inclusive, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Also known as
- PLU
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White45%
- Hispanic19%
- Two or more races11%
- Asian10%
- Black5%
- International5%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander2%
- Unknown1%
- American Indian / Alaska Native1%
First-gen students30%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$59k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 40
What you can study.