Pacific University

Private · Moderately Selective · OR

Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOR · West

SettingSuburban

Undergrads1,516

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate55.1%

6-yr grad rate67%

Drop-out rate20.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$56k

Out-of-state tuition$56k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity58.2%

Gender diversity56.1%

International1.1%

Identity—

Overview

Pacific University, in Forest Grove, Oregon west of Portland, pairs a small liberal arts undergraduate college with a set of major graduate health-professions schools — an unusual combination for a school its size, and the reason it punches above its weight in the health sciences despite being little known outside them.

Academics

Optometry is the flagship: Pacific's College of Optometry is one of the oldest and most respected in the country, and it anchors a broader health-professions pipeline that includes audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pharmacy. Undergraduates in pre-health tracks benefit from proximity to these graduate programs and faculty. The undergraduate college itself follows a conventional liberal arts curriculum with the flexibility typical of a small college.

Campus & student life

Forest Grove is a quiet town in the wine country west of Portland, close enough for city access but distinctly separate from it. Pacific has a notably strong and visible Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student community, a legacy connection that shows up in campus culture and events. The Boxer mascot and a close undergraduate community round out the small-college feel.

Getting in

Undergraduate admission is holistic and not especially formulaic, with an application that rewards students who can point to genuine interest in the health sciences pipeline the university is known for, though Pacific enrolls plenty of students in other majors as well.

After graduation

Graduates of the health-professions schools, especially optometry, place strongly into practice nationwide, and the university's name carries real recognition within those fields even though it is not a household name generally.

pacificu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate89.6%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 900–1240 · ACT 18–29

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying