Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) vs Pacific University

Northwest Nazarene University and Pacific University, both located in the Pacific Northwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwest Nazarene University, a private Christian university in Nampa, Idaho, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Pacific University's 75%. With a larger student body, Northwest Nazarene University offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like nursing, business, and education. Pacific University, a private liberal arts university in Forest Grove, Oregon, excels in the sciences, with popular majors in biology, chemistry, and environmental science. While Northwest Nazarene University has a higher graduation rate (68%) than Pacific University's 63%, both institutions provide a supportive learning environment with dedicated faculty and strong academic resources. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and find the university that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwest Nazarene University	Pacific University
Overview
Location	Nampa, Idaho	Forest Grove, Oregon
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	74.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	91.0%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $39
SAT range	970 - 1230	1090 - 1310
ACT range	20 - 26	19 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	2,843	2,266
Total number of admissions given out	2,506	2,063
Admitted students who chose to enroll	275	363
Yield rate	11.0%	17.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,730	$62,348
Average net price	$23,045	$33,523
Tuition	$33,740	$48,928
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,600 Meal plan: $5,620	Room/dormitory: $7,664 Meal plan: $6,228
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $21,525	96.0% Average amount $31,162
Students receiving federal student loan	61.0% Average amount $5,144	90.0% Average amount $5,415
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $11,288	10.0% Average amount $20,429

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,323 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	1,741 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Graduate students	721 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	2,010 Men 26.2% Women 73.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	43.0%	61.2%
International students	0.8%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	821	1,029
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Idaho Washington Oregon California Alaska	Oregon Hawaii California Washington Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Psychology English Language and Literature Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.6%	70.8%
Dropout rate	36.7%	29.0%
Transferred out	0.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,274 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $71,655 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,228 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,637 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,965 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $55,303 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,552 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,225 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,583 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $40,489 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,460 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,728 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,990 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,441 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,713 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,268 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $111,515 Year 2: $129,325 Year 3: $130,721 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,746 Year 2: $107,906 Year 3: $116,376 Optometry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,820 Year 2: $97,452 Year 3: $109,879 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $66,614 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $87,418 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,156 Year 2: $70,927 Year 3: $74,952 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,477 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $70,585 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,338 Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $54,996 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,884 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $50,195 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,734 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $45,266 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,418 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $42,720

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