Private nonprofit · University

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington · Large city

83.4%
Admit rate
$24,488
Avg net price
62%
Graduation rate
$64,506
Median earnings

Seattle Pacific University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Seattle, Washington (large city setting), enrolling 1,762 undergraduates. It has a Free Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,762 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 83% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

About Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. By the time the first European settlers arrived, the Duwamish people occupied at least 17 villages in the areas around Elliott Bay. Seattle has been a regional center for the performing arts for many years. The century-old Seattle Symphony Orchestra has won many awards and performs primarily at Benaroya Hall. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI)

How Seattle Pacific University compares

Selectivity83.4%

More selective than 38% · #12 most selective of 21 in Washington

Graduation rate62%

Higher than 64% · #12 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention72%

Higher than 37%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,506

Higher than 77% · #12 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$24,488

Cheaper than 30% · #16 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$24,000

Lower than 45%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,762

Larger than 54%

Percentiles compare Seattle Pacific University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Washington.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,247students
  • Undergraduate1,76278%
  • Graduate48522%

Undergraduates by gender

1,762undergrads
  • Women1,22670%
  • Men53630%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White31%
  • Black8.8%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Asian14%
  • Other or multiracial27%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,762
Graduate enrollment
485
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
23%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$62,276
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$86,229
Endowment
$162,552,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
83.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$40,407
Room & board
$16,491
Books & supplies
$924
Total cost of attendance
$56,826
Average net price
$24,488

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)
62%
Graduated on time (4 years)
47%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,496
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$64,506
Median debt at graduation
$24,000
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
76%

About 15% 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
47%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
52%

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
1,775
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$8,469
Meal plan (year)
$7,029
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
227 (80 men · 147 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 (6)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)97
Soccer51
Basketball29
Rowing26
Volleyball17
Golf7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
13.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
30
Property offenses (2022–2024)
58

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,261 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.

29reported offenses a year
10 violent a year19 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
12
Rape
5.0
Motor vehicle theft
4.3
Fondling
3.0
Arson
2.7
Aggravated assault
1.7
Robbery
0.3

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
$20,735
$30–48k
$18,559
$48–75k
$19,332
$75–110k
$27,976
$110k+
$29,819

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
$84,148

$19,332/year × about 4.4 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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,946
average award, among those who get one

Seattle Pacific University discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,946. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 532 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)
$64,506
Typical debt at graduation
$24,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$59,970
Men
$73,958

Men out-earn women by $13,988 (23%) 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
37°F
Annual rain
37.8″
Annual snow
3.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Seattle Sand PT Wsfo, WA US station (5.6 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 Seattle Pacific University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Seattle Pacific University side by side →

Colleges near Seattle Pacific 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.