Private (for-profit)

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Carpinteria, California·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·pacifica.edu
Total enrollment
833
peer median 939
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About

Pacifica Graduate Institute is a private for-profit graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara, California. The institute offers masters and doctoral degrees in the fields of clinical psychology, counseling, mythological studies, depth psychology, and the humanities. The institute is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 6 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 3 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
6
Passing
3
50.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

6programs
  • Passing3 · 50.0%
  • No Data3 · 50.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
3

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+6.5%
$51,814 vs $48,653
Psychology Other
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
+39.0%
$67,625 vs $48,653
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
+117.4%
$105,793 vs $48,653

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
215%
$111,422 debt · $51,814 earn
Psychology Other
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
211%
$142,952 debt · $67,625 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
202%
$214,131 debt · $105,793 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1997Next review Feb 2031
PreaccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1994Next review Dec 2018

Action history · 4

  1. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Aug 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  4. Feb 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $15.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
null total
Direct Loans
$15.9M
776 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$6.5M
425 loan awards
Grad PLUS$9.4M
351 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 188 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
188
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.4%
2017
2.6%
2018
3.0%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Pacifica Graduate Institute

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs4
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

254 total completions
01Psychology
20681.1%
02Liberal Arts
4818.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
833
12-mo unduplicated
956

Gender split

Men
26%247
Women
74%709

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 851 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Pacifica Graduate Institute vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Pacifica Graduate Institute selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectPacifica Graduate Institute
    833
    American University of Health Sciences
    50%50.0%473
    Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas
    82%100.0%1,222$32,603
    Aspen University
    27%3,511
    Brookline College-Albuquerque
    9%560$39,885
    Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
    841
    Chamberlain University-Arizona
    50%90.9%693$37,002
    Chamberlain University-California
    0%80.0%751
    Chamberlain University-Florida
    33%90.9%821$29,539
    Chamberlain University-Georgia
    50%91.4%1,940$31,471
    Chamberlain University-Illinois
    42%82.6%32,944$26,933
    Chamberlain University-Michigan
    100%85.7%629$26,870
    Chamberlain University-New Jersey
    33%100.0%1,226$36,438
    Chamberlain University-Texas
    25%83.9%2,270$32,247
    Chamberlain University-Virginia
    100%90.0%557
    Denver College of Nursing
    811
    Galen College of Nursing-Louisville
    23%5,585
    Miami Regional University
    84%84.3%916$28,535
    Nightingale College
    26%6,036$29,378
    Pacific College of Health and Science
    786$39,710
    Provo College
    47%669$30,255
    Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
    1,686
    Rocky Vista University
    1,903
    South University-Tampa
    18%752$24,280
    South University-West Palm Beach
    17%433$20,494
    United States University
    2,454$21,557
    University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
    4,370
    West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies
    548
    West Coast University-Los Angeles
    31%92.3%2,673$51,992
    West Coast University-Miami
    33%100.0%961$38,218
    West Coast University-Ontario
    39%88.1%2,671$49,752
    West Coast University-Orange County
    60%95.3%4,586$36,836
    Peer group median33%90.5%939$31,859

    Pacifica Graduate Institute Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Team
    1 member
    • Vanessa Conte
      Institutional Effectiveness Associate

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Notable alumni of Pacifica Graduate Institute (15)

    A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

    • Elaine Aron
    • Troy Byer
    • Renée Coleman
    • Selden Edwards
    • Xavier Eikerenkoetter
    • Jacqueline Feather
    • Jennifer Freed
    • Grace Helbig
    • Nadine Macaluso
    • Edmée Pardo Murray
    • Conrad Reeder
    • Jordan Shapiro
    Showing 112 of 15
    1 / 2

    Frequently asked questions about Pacifica Graduate Institute

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Pacifica Graduate Institute.

    How many students attend Pacifica Graduate Institute?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute reports a total enrollment of 833 students per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Pacifica Graduate Institute located?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute is located in Carpinteria, California 93013.

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