Private (for-profit)

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Carpinteria, California·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·pacifica.edu
Acceptance
Grad-only
—
6-yr Graduation
Grad-only
—
Total enrollment
833
peer median 939
Avg net price
Grad-only
—
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AboutProgram outcomesAccreditationFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

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.

FVT/GE

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.

DAPIP
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.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $20.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
—
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
—
null total
Direct Loans
$20.1M
794 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$8.0M
430 loan awards
Grad PLUS$12.1M
364 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.

Cohort Default Rate

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.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs4
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

210 total completions
01Psychology
18286.7%
02Liberal Arts
2813.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
833
12-mo unduplicated
916

Gender split

Men
27%246
Women
73%670

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 882 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.

    IPEDS
    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
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only833Grad-only—
    American University of Health Sciences
    		50%50.0%473$25,963—
    Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas
    		82%100.0%1,222$30,921—
    Aspen University
    		27%Open admission3,511$14,895—
    Brookline College-Albuquerque
    		9%Open admission560$37,459—
    Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only841Grad-only—
    Chamberlain University-Arizona
    		50%90.9%693$40,096—
    Chamberlain University-California
    		0%80.0%751$36,559—
    Chamberlain University-Florida
    		33%90.9%821$31,269—
    Chamberlain University-Georgia
    		50%91.4%1,940$33,188—
    Chamberlain University-Illinois
    		42%82.6%32,944$31,837—
    Chamberlain University-Michigan
    		100%85.7%629$28,045—
    Chamberlain University-New Jersey
    		33%100.0%1,226$37,984—
    Chamberlain University-Texas
    		25%83.9%2,270$32,209—
    Chamberlain University-Virginia
    		100%90.0%557$33,199—
    Denver College of Nursing
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry811$30,530—
    Galen College of Nursing-Louisville
    		23%Open admission5,585$18,540—
    Miami Regional University
    		84%84.3%916$22,113—
    Nightingale College
    		26%Open admission6,036$30,852—
    Pacific College of Health and Science
    		—Open admission786$51,918—
    Provo College
    		47%Open admission669$27,053—
    Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only1,686Grad-only—
    Rocky Vista University
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only1,903Grad-only—
    South University-Tampa
    		18%Open admission752$20,434—
    South University-West Palm Beach
    		17%Open admission433$20,271—
    United States University
    		Not reportedOpen admission2,454$21,557—
    University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only4,370Grad-only—
    West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies
    		Grad-onlyGrad-only548Grad-only—
    West Coast University-Los Angeles
    		31%92.3%2,673$53,020—
    West Coast University-Miami
    		33%100.0%961$32,539—
    West Coast University-Ontario
    		39%88.1%2,671$49,590—
    West Coast University-Orange County
    		60%95.3%4,586$32,879—
    Peer group median33%90.5%939$31,553

    Institutions like Pacifica Graduate Institute

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Pacifica Graduate Institute's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    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 1–12 of 15
    1 / 2

    Frequently asked questions about Pacifica Graduate Institute

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

    What is the acceptance rate at Pacifica Graduate Institute?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no undergraduate admissions cycle to report.

    What is the graduation rate at Pacifica Graduate Institute?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates track first-time, full-time undergraduates seeking a degree. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no cohort to follow.

    How many students attend Pacifica Graduate Institute?

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

    What is the average net price at Pacifica Graduate Institute?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so it does not report one.

    Where is Pacifica Graduate Institute located?

    Pacifica Graduate Institute is located in Carpinteria, California 93013.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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