by our College Data Analytics TeamPoint Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution in San Diego, California enrolling 3,188 undergraduates. It accepts 84% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 77%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #136 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 3%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Point Loma Nazarene University ranks #136 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 3%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Point Loma Nazarene University was awarded 337 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked PLNU as #136 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.
PLNU is also ranked #27 on the Best Colleges in California list.
See all of the rankings for Point Loma Nazarene University.
The acceptance rate at Point Loma Nazarene University is 84%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that PLNU is a good fit for you.
About 8% of students accepted to PLNU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 610 and 695. Math scores were between 565 and 670.
PLNU received ACT scores from 6% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 25 and 32.
Learn more about Point Loma Nazarene University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Point Loma Nazarene University is about average at 13 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Point Loma Nazarene University is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 86% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Point Loma Nazarene University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At PLNU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 77%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Point Loma Nazarene University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 3,188 undergraduates at PLNU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Point Loma Nazarene University.
The overall average net price of PLNU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,999 | $32,117 | $32,888 | $33,003 | $41,680 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of PLNU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At PLNU, approximately 50% of students took out student loans averaging $7,340 a year. That adds up to $29,360 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 1.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Point Loma Nazarene University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University make about $63,998 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future Point Loma Nazarene University graduates since it is 30% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Point Loma Nazarene University make the most money.
Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in San Diego, California. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Point Loma Nazarene University.
Contact information for Point Loma Nazarene University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 3900 Lomaland Dr, San Diego, CA 92106-2899 |
| Phone: | 6198492200 |
| Website: | www.pointloma.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Loma_Nazarene_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/pages/San-Diego-CA/Point-Loma-Nazarene-University/26060837166 |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/plnu |
In the latest year of available data, students from 25 majors graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,373 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 175 | $47,027 |
| General Education | 161 | $59,649 |
| Health & Physical Education | 94 | $45,822 |
| Allied Health Professions | 88 | $24,669 |
| Nursing | 88 | $88,194 |
| General Psychology | 74 | $25,647 |
| Child Development & Family Studies | 64 | $26,260 |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 54 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 47 | NA |
1,039 students took at least one online class at Point Loma Nazarene University.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Point Loma Nazarene University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to PLNU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References