Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 62/100

Pacific Union College

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

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Angwin, California

About Pacific Union College

Thinking about Pacific Union College, a college in California where more students graduate in Health 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.

Pacific Union College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Angwin, California. It enrolls 805 students (a small, tight-knit 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
47.3%
Graduation
45%
Net Price
$41,008
Median Earnings (10yr)
$70,484
Enrollment
805
Student : Faculty
11:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic Calendar Quarter

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.

Good
62/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 69
Value 10
Affordability 29
Selectivity 85

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Pacific Union College admits 47.3% of applicants, which makes it genuinely competitive, so your application needs to be strong.

Acceptance Rate
47.3%
Selective
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 Pacific Union College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 10.8 pts since 2019
53.3%201959.2%202057.7%202148.5%202242.5%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 $41,008 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. 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
$41,008
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
34%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
58%
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
$37,173
Room & Board (on-campus)
$9,816
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,086
Books & Supplies
$1,062
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,446
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,930
Total Cost of Attendance
$49,404

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.

$5,001
10% percentile
$9,500
25% percentile
$27,500
Median percentile
$32,500
75% percentile
$45,167
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 $23,251 ↓ $4,249
No Pell $16,917 ↓ $10,583
Dependent students $20,001 ↓ $7,499
Independent students $17,750 ↓ $9,750
Female students $19,500 ↓ $8,000
Male students $20,001 ↓ $7,499
Pell recipients: 19.8% (5,445 students)No Pell: 14.4% (3,962 students)Dependent students: 17.0% (4,684 students)Independent students: 15.1% (4,157 students)Female students: 16.6% (4,567 students)Male students: 17.0% (4,684 students)Overall Median$27,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,500, less than completers ($27,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

45% of students who start here finish within six years, and 88% 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
45%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
88%
Returning for their second year
What this means: High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $70,484 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$70,484
Earning > $25K
82%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000$75,0006 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
$60,000

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

Male graduates
$64,300

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$56,200

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

Family income (middle third)
$60,300

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

Family income (highest third)
$65,500

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

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 ↑ 22.2 pts across 6 years
64.8%1yr73.7%3yr78.9%5yr86.9%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 87% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 805 students, a small, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
805
Part-Time
13%
First-Generation
26%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 30.4% 245
Asian 20.4% 164
Other 18.5% 149
White 15.5% 125
Black 5.1% 41
International 3.1% 25
Hispanic: 30.4% (245 students)Asian: 20.4% (164 students)Other: 18.5% (149 students)White: 15.5% (125 students)Black: 5.1% (41 students)International: 3.1% (25 students)Total805

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Rural: Fringe Angwin, California
Housing
Strongly residential 1,200 beds for 805 students
Adult Learners
28% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Quarter scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

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

Pacific Union College offers a varied set of programs: 29 distinct programs across 15 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
3 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$15M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$58,361
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

57 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 22 39% $64,549
Associate Professors 11 19% $59,120
Assistant Professors 22 39% $52,833
Instructors 2 4% $46,930

Pros & Cons of Pacific Union College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Pacific Union College 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
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Strong first-year retention
  • Above-average post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • High net price compared to most US colleges
  • Selective admissions, solid academic profile expected
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
Best for: Based on the data, Pacific Union College is a fit for students prioritizing post-graduation earnings; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pacific Union College

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

Is Pacific Union College hard to get into?
Pacific Union College is selective but not extremely competitive. Its acceptance rate is 47.3%. Strong academic credentials and a thoughtful application materially improve your odds.
What is the acceptance rate at Pacific Union College?
47.3% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Pacific Union College cost?
Budget around $41,008 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 Pacific Union College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $70,484 a year against a net price of $41,008, about 1.7 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 Pacific Union College known for?
Mostly Nursing, Nursing, Biology. 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 Pacific Union College graduates earn?
About $70,484 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 Pacific Union College accredited?
Yes. Pacific Union College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend Pacific Union College?
805 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 Pacific Union College?
45% 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 Pacific Union College 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 Pacific Union College located?
Pacific Union College is located in Angwin, California.
What programs does Pacific Union College offer?
29 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Nursing, Biology. 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 Pacific Union College?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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