Private Nonprofit Graduate Fair 52/100

Alaska Pacific University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Anchorage, Alaska

About Alaska Pacific University

Thinking about Alaska Pacific University, a college in Alaska where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Alaska Pacific University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Anchorage, Alaska. It enrolls 457 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
96.5%
Graduation
53%
Net Price
$21,616
Median Earnings (10yr)
$54,271
Enrollment
457
Student : Faculty
8:1

Accreditor Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Fair
52/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 25
Value 43
Affordability 46
Selectivity 7

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Alaska Pacific University admits 96.5% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
96.5%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Alaska Pacific University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↓ 3.0 pts since 2019
89.2%201990.7%202096%202199.3%202286.2%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $21,616 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$21,616
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
32%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
40%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$20,760
Room & Board (on-campus)
$8,932
Room & Board (off-campus)
$20,000
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,500
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,500
Total Cost of Attendance
$34,026

Application fee: $35 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $19,404
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $13,365
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $16,037
  • Over $110,000
    $31,181

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,250
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$23,500
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$36,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $12,000 ↓ $11,500
No Pell $14,749 ↓ $8,751
Dependent students $10,125 ↓ $13,375
Independent students $14,632 ↓ $8,868
Female students $12,696 ↓ $10,804
Male students $12,000 ↓ $11,500
Pell recipients: 15.7% (3,701 students)No Pell: 19.4% (4,548 students)Dependent students: 13.3% (3,122 students)Independent students: 19.2% (4,512 students)Female students: 16.7% (3,915 students)Male students: 15.7% (3,701 students)Overall Median$23,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($23,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

53% of students who start here finish within six years, and 68% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
53%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
68%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $54,271 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$54,271
Earning > $25K
75%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$45,000$47,000$50,000$53,000$56,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$39,100

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$56,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$39,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$46,400

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$50,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $17,200, about 31% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 15.0 pts across 6 years
63.3%1yr68.7%3yr80%5yr78.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 78% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 457 students, an intimate, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
457
Part-Time
25%
First-Generation
—

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Other 37.2% 170
White 32.0% 146
Hispanic 8.5% 39
Asian 8.1% 37
Black 4.8% 22
International 0.7% 3
Other: 37.2% (170 students)White: 32.0% (146 students)Hispanic: 8.5% (39 students)Asian: 8.1% (37 students)Black: 4.8% (22 students)International: 0.7% (3 students)Total457

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Alaska Pacific University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City Anchorage, Alaska
Housing
Partly residential 91 beds available
Adult Learners
54% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Alaska Pacific University offers a varied set of programs: 24 distinct programs across 9 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
6 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 8 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
8:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$153M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$65,795
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

53 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 9 17% $79,189
Associate Professors 19 36% $68,083
Assistant Professors 23 43% $59,714
Instructors 2 4% $53,713

Pros & Cons of Alaska Pacific University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Alaska Pacific University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
Best for: Based on the data, Alaska Pacific University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Alaska Pacific University

The questions families ask most about Alaska Pacific University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Alaska Pacific University hard to get into?
Not especially. Alaska Pacific University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 96.5%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Alaska Pacific University?
96.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Alaska Pacific University cost?
Budget around $21,616 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Alaska Pacific University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $54,271 a year against a net price of $21,616, about 2.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Alaska Pacific University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Nursing, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Alaska Pacific University graduates earn?
About $54,271 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Alaska Pacific University accredited?
Yes. Alaska Pacific University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Alaska Pacific University?
457 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Alaska Pacific University?
53% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Alaska Pacific University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Alaska Pacific University located?
Alaska Pacific University is located in Anchorage, Alaska.
What programs does Alaska Pacific University offer?
24 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Nursing, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Alaska Pacific University?
8 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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