Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California · Also known as PLNU · Website
$63,998
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$63,998
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Point Loma Nazarene University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in San Diego, California with 3,188 undergraduates and 1,511 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $38,729 a year (tuition and fees $46,250). It admits 84% of applicants and 77% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $63,998 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,990 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$38,729
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$46,250
US median $11,837
Admission rate
84%
US median 78%
Completion rate
77%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,990
About $244 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$63,998
Rank 565 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $38,729
- Tuition and fees
- $46,250
- Cost of attendance
- $60,488
- Students with a need-based grant
- 21%
- Students with federal loans
- 50%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $30,999
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $32,117
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $32,888
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $33,003
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $41,680
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $32,400 in 2015-16 to $46,250 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 84%
- Average SAT
- 1,287
- SAT reading, middle
- 640
- SAT math, middle
- 620
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 3,188
- Graduate students
- 1,511
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 65%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 77%
- Retention rate
- 86%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 77
- Endowment
- $87.1M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 565 of 5,094 US colleges and 94 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $38,729 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $46,250 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 84% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 77% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 86% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,990 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $54,811 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $63,998 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 79% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
77 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 138 | $42,924 | $61,550 | $77,441 | $65,824 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 117 | $18,750 | $48,397 | $74,495 | $68,257 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | $24,784 | $97,296 | $114,919 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 92 | $34,519 | $78,560 | $99,784 | $103,485 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $21,984 | $27,724 | $46,437 | $50,706 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's | Master's | 61 | $28,266 | $49,053 | $64,937 | $62,033 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 55 | $15,000 | $27,037 | $46,119 | $48,568 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 44 | $58,316 | $56,660 | Withheld | $65,184 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $26,244 | $29,523 | $59,654 | $70,786 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $25,000 | $34,943 | $65,365 | $57,214 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $25,000 | $46,986 | $56,198 | $47,382 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,343 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $25,000 | $71,111 | Withheld | $92,374 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,303 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $14,500 | $45,022 | $59,183 | $55,378 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $21,500 | $40,138 | $47,092 | $56,359 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 18 | $50,562 | $117,062 | $130,691 | $120,193 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 15 | $42,073 | $73,427 | $86,603 | $64,397 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $27,000 | $27,604 | Withheld | $65,466 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,740 | $51,490 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of San Diego and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Point Loma Nazarene University cost?
$38,729 a year is the average net price at Point Loma Nazarene University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $46,250, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $60,488. Families earning under $30,000 pay $30,999 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Point Loma Nazarene University?
84% of applicants are admitted to Point Loma Nazarene University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,287 and the middle ACT score is 26. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Point Loma Nazarene University graduates earn?
$63,998 a year is the median pay of former Point Loma Nazarene University students who work, 10 years after they started ($54,811 after 6 years). That ranks 565 of 5,094 US colleges and 94 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $117,062.
How much student debt do Point Loma Nazarene University graduates have?
$22,990 is the median federal student loan debt of Point Loma Nazarene University graduates, about $244 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 50% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Point Loma Nazarene University?
77% of first-time, full-time students at Point Loma Nazarene University finish within 6 years. 86% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Point Loma Nazarene University?
Education, General (138 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (117 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (111 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 77 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.