Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 63/100

Seattle Pacific University

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

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Seattle, Washington

About Seattle Pacific University

Thinking about Seattle Pacific University, a college in Washington 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.

Seattle Pacific University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Seattle, Washington. It enrolls 1,762 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
83.4%
Graduation
58.2%
Net Price
$24,488
Median Earnings (10yr)
$64,506
Enrollment
1,762
Student : Faculty
10:1

Accreditor Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
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
63/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 49
Value 48
Affordability 44
Selectivity 44

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Seattle Pacific University admits 83.4% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
83.4%
Easy
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 Seattle Pacific University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 0.5 pts since 2019
90.6%201990.6%202091.9%202190.7%202291.1%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 $24,488 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
$24,488
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
35%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
49%
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
$40,407
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,491
Room & Board (off-campus)
$16,491
Books & Supplies
$924
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,618
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,618
Total Cost of Attendance
$56,826

Application fee: $50 (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
    $20,735
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $18,559
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $19,332
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $27,976
  • Over $110,000
    $29,819

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.

$5,500
10% percentile
$10,500
25% percentile
$24,000
Median percentile
$30,000
75% percentile
$35,500
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 $17,333 ↓ $6,667
No Pell $15,500 ↓ $8,500
Dependent students $16,325 ↓ $7,675
Independent students $22,001 ↓ $1,999
Female students $17,500 ↓ $6,500
Male students $15,000 ↓ $9,000
Pell recipients: 16.7% (4,013 students)No Pell: 15.0% (3,589 students)Dependent students: 15.7% (3,780 students)Independent students: 21.2% (5,094 students)Female students: 16.9% (4,052 students)Male students: 14.5% (3,473 students)Overall Median$24,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,834, less than completers ($24,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

58% of students who start here finish within six years, and 74% 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
58%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $64,506 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$64,506
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$54,000$58,000$62,000$66,0006 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
$48,500

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

Male graduates
$66,600

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$49,800

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

Family income (middle third)
$56,400

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

Family income (highest third)
$54,300

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $18,100, about 27% 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 ↑ 10.3 pts across 6 years
84.1%1yr86.8%3yr91.3%5yr94.4%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 94% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,762 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,762
Part-Time
3%
First-Generation
23%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 30.7% 541
Hispanic 19.2% 338
Asian 14.3% 252
Other 10.4% 183
Black 8.8% 155
International 7.0% 123
White: 30.7% (541 students)Hispanic: 19.2% (338 students)Asian: 14.3% (252 students)Other: 10.4% (183 students)Black: 8.8% (155 students)International: 7.0% (123 students)Total1,762

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large City Seattle, Washington
Housing
Strongly residential 1,775 beds for 1,762 students
Adult Learners
6% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Quarter 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.

Seattle Pacific University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 74 distinct programs across 22 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
5 Programs
6 Programs
5 Programs
4 Programs
4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$259M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$84,121
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

176 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 57 32% $93,675
Associate Professors 47 27% $84,347
Assistant Professors 58 33% $79,023
Instructors 7 4% $55,656
No Rank 7 4% $75,523

Pros & Cons of Seattle Pacific University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Seattle 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)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Modest first-year retention
Best for: Based on the data, Seattle Pacific University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Seattle Pacific University

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

Is Seattle Pacific University hard to get into?
Not especially. Seattle Pacific University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 83.4%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Seattle Pacific University?
83.4% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Seattle Pacific University cost?
Budget around $24,488 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 Seattle Pacific University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $64,506 a year against a net price of $24,488, about 2.6 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 Seattle Pacific University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Teacher Education (K-12), Teacher Education (K-12). 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 Seattle Pacific University graduates earn?
About $64,506 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 Seattle Pacific University accredited?
Yes. Seattle Pacific University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Seattle Pacific University?
1,762 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 Seattle Pacific University?
58% 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 Seattle 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 Seattle Pacific University located?
Seattle Pacific University is located in Seattle, Washington.
What programs does Seattle Pacific University offer?
74 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Teacher Education (K-12), Teacher Education (K-12). 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 Seattle Pacific University?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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