Pacific Oaks College

Private · Selective · CA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads312

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate—

6-yr grad rate—

Drop-out rate—

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$33k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity79.2%

Gender diversity89.4%

International1%

Identity—

Overview

Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena grew out of a Quaker-founded children's school and today specializes in human development, early childhood education, and marriage and family therapy. It primarily serves working adults completing or advancing degrees rather than traditional-age undergraduates arriving straight from high school, and its programs, scheduling, and support services are built around that adult-learner reality rather than a traditional residential campus experience.

Academics

Programs concentrate tightly on human development, early childhood education, and family therapy, taught through a progressive, social-justice-oriented lens that shapes coursework across the curriculum rather than being confined to a single course. The format is built around flexibility for working adult students, with scheduling and delivery designed around people balancing jobs and family alongside coursework.

Worth knowing

This school fits working adults and career-changers pursuing specific human-services fields far more than traditional-age students seeking a conventional four-year undergraduate experience with dorms, athletics, or a large first-year cohort. Applicants should go in expecting an adult-education model, not a traditional campus one.

pacificoaks.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate34.4%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying