Photo: David Ball (CC BY 2.5)
School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Point Loma Nazarene University sits on a bluff above the Pacific in San Diego, affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, and its cliffside setting overlooking Sunset Cliffs is among the most striking of any American campus. Faith formation is a genuine, structured part of the undergraduate experience rather than a background feature.
Academics
Nursing and the broader pre-health sciences are PLNU's strongest professional pipeline, backed by biology and related science programs, alongside a solid business school. Class sizes are small, and the university builds chapel and faith-integration components into the curriculum across majors, not only in religion courses.
Campus & student life
The oceanfront location shapes daily life directly — surfing, beach access, and ocean views are simply part of the campus rather than a selling point layered on top, and the compact size keeps the community tight-knit. Chapel attendance and a code of conduct reflecting the university's Wesleyan-Nazarene values are expected parts of student life.
Getting in
PLNU weighs faith commitment and fit with its Christian mission alongside academics, and applicants should expect that dimension to matter in the review, not just grades and test scores.
After graduation
Nursing and pre-health graduates place well into regional hospital systems and graduate health programs, and the university's Nazarene network provides connections into ministry and Christian-school careers for students in those tracks.
Worth knowing
The setting is not incidental marketing — the campus genuinely sits on oceanfront bluffs, and outdoor, ocean-oriented recreation is woven into student life in a way few other universities can match.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
pointloma.edu ↗High school coursework
RequiredHigh school diploma required (GED accepted); no specific unit distribution required
Recommended15 total academic units · 4 units of English · 3 units of Mathematics · 3 units of Science (2 units must be lab) · 2 units of Foreign Language · 2 units of Social Studies · 1 unit of History
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