Pacific Lutheran University Admission
Pacific Lutheran University Undergraduate Program
Pacific Lutheran University Application

The Facts

Pacific Lutheran University is a moderately sized, private school affiliated with the Lutheran church located in the town of Tacoma, Washington, and is home to over 2,914 undergraduate students and approximately 277 graduate and part-time professional students. The university is divided up into several smaller undergraduate colleges including schools of business administration, education, and nursing. Some of the most popular majors include business administration, nursing, psychology, communication, and biology.

Admission to Pacific Lutheran University is not terrifically competitive; however, those who do apply tend to be quite driven and to have been academically successful in the past. Last year, over 2,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 1,575 of those students were accepted; of those, about 700 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1000 to 1240, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 29. Additionally, over 70% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.62.

Pacific Lutheran University has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and most professors get high marks when it comes to accessibility and willingness to help students out. It is rare to find a class with more than 20 students. Students say that they feel truly cared for by their professors, and never feel anonymous. The school has an extensive core requirement that includes traditional liberal arts courses, as well as classes in nature, math reasoning, science and the scientific method, perspectives on diversity, physical education, and a senior seminar project.

The Social Scene

The city of Tacoma, Washington is a budding cosmopolitan town with plenty of entertainment and social options including many clubs, bars, shops, cafes, and even museums, operas, a ballet, and symphonies. Most students do own cars, and weekend road trips to the larger cities of Seattle and Portland are popular options. We hear that it’s pretty easy for students without cars to hitch a ride.

The school has no fraternities or sororities, but students don’t seem to mind one bit. There are plenty of off-campus weekend parties that are quite popular with students, and although the administration is quite strict when it comes to drinking on campus, this doesn’t seem to curb students’ partying habits one bit. There are also many sports at PLU, and both intramural and varsity sports are quite popular with the majority of students.

The dating scene is pretty homogenous; however, we hear the people are kind and eager to please.

What’s Good

“You really feel cared for here. Never have I felt anonymous.”

“Tacoma has a lot of stuff to do on the weekends, which is nice for those of us who want some quiet time on campus to study.”

“The dorms are really nice, and you get plenty of perks for the money you pay.”

What’s Bad

“The infamous Tacoma-aroma really gets to you after awhile. Viva la paper mills!”

“The atmosphere is a bit too conservative for my tastes, and there are a lot of really close minded people here.”

“The building could use some updating for sure. They aren’t the most modern of facilities if you know what I mean.”

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