Point Loma Nazarene University
About
Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts university located in San Diego, California. Founded in 1902, it emphasizes academic, personal, and spiritual growth through a variety of programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and online studies. The university is known for its small student-to-teacher ratio of 13:1 and its focus on service-oriented education within the context of the Church of the Nazarene.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 98 Title IV programs, 15 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 83 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing15 · 15.3%
- No Data83 · 84.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 10
Action history · 11
- Aug 2025Initial AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
- Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
- Oct 2024Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Apr 2024Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- Jan 2024Approved for Distance EducationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 939 students received $5.2M in Pell grants, alongside $50.3M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,332 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Point Loma Nazarene
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 7
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus9
Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Point Loma Nazarene vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Point Loma Nazarene selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPoint Loma Nazarene University | 77% | — | 4,757 | $50,168 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Abilene Christian University | 59% | 66.0% | 5,219 | $27,401 | Doctoral/Professional |
Anderson University | 53% | 79.3% | 1,228 | $22,144 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Asbury University | 65% | 63.4% | 2,100 | $20,428 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Azusa Pacific University | 62% | 88.4% | 6,272 | $19,798 | R2 Research |
Bethel University | 71% | 87.8% | 3,603 | $28,439 | Doctoral/Professional |
Biola University | 68% | 74.3% | 5,434 | $28,101 | Doctoral/Professional |
California Lutheran University | 70% | 75.7% | 3,351 | $26,433 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Calvin University | 74% | 70.9% | 3,681 | $24,783 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Chapman University | 82% | 65.4% | 9,760 | $47,527 | R2 Research |
George Fox University | 72% | 93.5% | 4,916 | $29,981 | Doctoral/Professional |
Gordon College | 69% | 69.2% | 1,595 | $24,817 | Baccalaureate |
Messiah University | 75% | 79.0% | 3,373 | $27,686 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
North Park University | 58% | 68.5% | 2,557 | $18,191 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Northwest Nazarene University | 71% | 64.7% | 1,635 | $25,537 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Olivet Nazarene University | 61% | 55.9% | 3,339 | $21,539 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Palm Beach Atlantic University | 55% | 82.0% | 4,147 | $32,751 | Doctoral/Professional |
Seattle Pacific University | 62% | 83.4% | 2,261 | $24,820 | Doctoral/Professional |
Taylor University | 74% | 73.5% | 2,548 | $24,327 | Baccalaureate |
Trinity College | 84% | 29.2% | 2,238 | $35,009 | Baccalaureate |
Union University | 66% | 60.4% | 2,713 | $26,815 | Doctoral/Professional |
Westmont College | 70% | 77.0% | 1,310 | $32,926 | Baccalaureate |
Wheaton College | 85% | 87.4% | 2,874 | $26,984 | Baccalaureate |
Whitworth University | 71% | 89.8% | 2,314 | $25,884 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| Peer group median | 70% | 74.3% | 3,107 | $26,624 |
Point Loma Nazarene Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research at Point Loma Nazarene University provides a range of data publications, including annual DataPoint reports and the Common Data Set (CDS) in various formats. The office's contact information includes a phone number, physical address, and links to recent data publications and the CDS.
Visit IR office page- Brent GoodmanDirector, Institutional Research
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookInstitutional Research - Point Loma Nazarene University2025The Institutional Research page at Point Loma Nazarene University provides access to DataPoint publications and the Common Data Set from recent years. Key metrics include enrollment, admissions, graduation and retention rates, and California License Examination Passage Rates. The DataPoints are available for various years up to 2025, and Common Data Set information is provided for the same period.pointloma.edu
- GlossaryInstitutional ResearchThis section of Point Loma Nazarene University's website provides details about the Institutional Research office, including a list of publications like the PLNU DataPoint and Common Data Set. It offers links to view data sets and reports across several years (from 2013 to 2025) in various formats, such as Word, PDF, and Excel, focusing on metrics like enrollment, admissions, and graduation rates.pointloma.edu
- Strategic planOnePLNU2026The OnePLNU initiative by Point Loma Nazarene University is a strategic plan to assess opportunities and prepare for future challenges within the context of higher education. It focuses on cultivating a faith-centered mission, fostering a community of belonging, shaping a future-oriented academy, and stewarding resources wisely. The plan underscores the importance of innovation, engagement with diverse perspectives, and alignment with the university's core Christian values.pointloma.edu
Notable alumni of Point Loma Nazarene (29)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Micah Albert
- Ally Beardsley
- Ron Benefiel
- Ed Blakely
- Warren S. Brown
- Larry Alan Burns
- Robert D. Clark
- Destin Daniel Cretton
- Jordan Cunningham
- Natalie Harp
- Hoku
- Darlene Hooley
Frequently asked questions about Point Loma Nazarene University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Point Loma Nazarene.
What is the graduation rate at Point Loma Nazarene University?
How many students attend Point Loma Nazarene University?
What is the average net price at Point Loma Nazarene University?
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Where is Point Loma Nazarene University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Point Loma Nazarene University?
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