Private nonprofit · University

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California · Large city

83.7%
Admit rate
$38,729
Avg net price
77%
Graduation rate
$63,998
Median earnings

Point Loma Nazarene University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in San Diego, California (large city setting), enrolling 3,188 undergraduates. It has a Church of the Nazarene religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,188 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 84% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Point Loma Nazarene University's admitted students.

Admit rate
83.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1175–1365
Avg GPA (est.)
3.59

Enter a test score to see where you land against Point Loma Nazarene University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Point Loma Nazarene University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About San Diego, California

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. What has been referred to as the San Dieguito complex was established in the area at least 9,000 years ago. The culture of San Diego is influenced heavily by the mixing of American and Mexican cultures, due to the city's position on the Mexico–United States border, its large Chicano population, and its history as part of Hispanic America and Mexico. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
5 miles to San Diego, CA
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
4 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub

How Point Loma Nazarene University compares

Selectivity83.7%

More selective than 38% · #66 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1287

Higher than 77%

Graduation rate77%

Higher than 87% · #34 of 122 in California

First-year retention86%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,998

Higher than 76% · #71 of 130 in California

Average net price$38,729

Cheaper than 5% · #96 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$22,990

Lower than 54%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment3,188

Larger than 70%

Percentiles compare Point Loma Nazarene University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Point Loma Nazarene University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,699students
  • Undergraduate3,18868%
  • Graduate1,51132%

Undergraduates by gender

3,188undergrads
  • Women2,18569%
  • Men1,00331%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White52%
  • Black2.1%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian6.7%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,188
Graduate enrollment
1,511
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$59,409
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$106,758
Endowment
$87,146,089

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 657 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California70%
  • Other U.S. states28%
  • International1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Point Loma Nazarene University draws overwhelmingly from California.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
83.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1175–1365
SAT average
1287
SAT reading
610–695
SAT math
565–670
ACT composite
25–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.59

Cost

In-state tuition
$46,250
Room & board
$13,650
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$60,488
Average net price
$38,729

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
77%
Graduated on time (4 years)
68%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,811
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,998
Median debt at graduation
$22,990
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
75%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
68%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
66%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,859
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
58%
Application fee
$55
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
228 (88 men · 140 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Soccer62
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)57
Basketball33
Baseball32
Volleyball18
Tennis17
Golf9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
17

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (4,757 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

7.0reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year5.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
4.3
Burglary
1.3
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$30,999
$30–48k
$32,117
$48–75k
$32,888
$75–110k
$33,003
$110k+
$41,680

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$137,491

$32,888/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$17,782
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 93% — get grant money from Point Loma Nazarene University itself, averaging $17,782, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 689 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$63,998
Typical debt at graduation
$22,990
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$61,032
Men
$69,706

Men out-earn women by $8,674 (14%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
77°F
Winter low
48°F
Annual rain
9.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.91.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, North Island Nas, CA US station (3.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Point Loma Nazarene University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Point Loma Nazarene University side by side →

Colleges near Point Loma Nazarene University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.