Private Nonprofit Graduate Strong 75/100

Fresno Pacific University

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

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Fresno, California

About Fresno Pacific University

Thinking about Fresno Pacific University, a college in California where more students graduate in Education 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.

Fresno Pacific University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Fresno, California. It enrolls 1,544 students (a mid-sized 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
64.1%
Graduation
46.5%
Net Price
$13,630
Median Earnings (10yr)
$58,896
Enrollment
1,544
Student : Faculty
8:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
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.

Strong
75/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 39
Value 87
Affordability 86
Selectivity 45

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Fresno Pacific University admits 64.1% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
64.1%
Moderate
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 Fresno Pacific University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 8.6 pts since 2019
66.1%201966.9%202077.9%202175%202257.5%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 $13,630 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. 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
$13,630
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
58%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
66%
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
$36,660
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,210
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,720
Books & Supplies
$1,062
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,213
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,968
Total Cost of Attendance
$44,249

Application fee: $40 (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
    $11,133
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $11,929
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $10,799
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $15,744
  • Over $110,000
    $20,353

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.

$5,250
10% percentile
$8,734
25% percentile
$23,146
Median percentile
$25,000
75% percentile
$32,000
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 $19,532 ↓ $3,614
No Pell $18,543 ↓ $4,603
Dependent students $14,945 ↓ $8,201
Independent students $22,000 ↓ $1,146
Female students $19,554 ↓ $3,592
Male students $18,750 ↓ $4,396
Pell recipients: 17.2% (3,989 students)No Pell: 16.4% (3,787 students)Dependent students: 13.2% (3,052 students)Independent students: 19.4% (4,493 students)Female students: 17.3% (3,994 students)Male students: 16.5% (3,830 students)Overall Median$23,146
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $16,388, close to what completers borrow ($23,146) but without the degree to show for it.

Graduation Rate & Retention

46% of students who start here finish within six years, and 75% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. 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
46%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
75%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $58,896 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$58,896
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$50,000$53,000$55,000$58,000$60,0006 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
$41,900

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

Male graduates
$52,800

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$40,600

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

Family income (middle third)
$45,200

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

Family income (highest third)
$51,300

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,900, about 21% 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 ↑ 15.1 pts across 6 years
55.3%1yr63%3yr69.8%5yr70.4%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 70% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,544 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 47% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,544
Part-Time
39%
First-Generation
47%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 61.9% 955
White 20.0% 309
Asian 4.9% 75
Black 4.3% 66
International 3.4% 53
Other 2.3% 36
Hispanic: 61.9% (955 students)White: 20.0% (309 students)Asian: 4.9% (75 students)Black: 4.3% (66 students)International: 3.4% (53 students)Other: 2.3% (36 students)Total1,544

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large City Fresno, California
Housing
Partly residential 371 beds available
Adult Learners
41% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

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

Fresno Pacific University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 46 distinct programs across 21 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.

5 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
6 Programs
3 Programs

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
$74M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$74,065
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

109 instructional faculty across 5 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 14 13% $86,271
Associate Professors 33 30% $78,994
Assistant Professors 42 39% $70,617
Instructors 17 16% $65,361
No Rank 3 3% $60,479

Pros & Cons of Fresno Pacific University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Fresno 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
  • Below-average net price
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Most students take on federal loans

Frequently Asked Questions about Fresno Pacific University

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

Is Fresno Pacific University hard to get into?
Admissions at Fresno Pacific University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 64.1%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Fresno Pacific University?
64.1% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Fresno Pacific University cost?
Budget around $13,630 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 Fresno Pacific University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $58,896 a year against a net price of $13,630, about 4.3 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 Fresno Pacific University known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Social Work, 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 Fresno Pacific University graduates earn?
About $58,896 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 Fresno Pacific University accredited?
Yes. Fresno Pacific University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend Fresno Pacific University?
1,544 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 Fresno Pacific University?
46% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Fresno 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 Fresno Pacific University located?
Fresno Pacific University is located in Fresno, California.
What programs does Fresno Pacific University offer?
46 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Social Work, 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 Fresno 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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