The Hetchinger Report
Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education
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Total cost and more

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, WA
Private 4-year school
$70,901projected sticker price
$25,649projected average net price for
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This year at Pacific Lutheran University, we project that on average students will pay $25,649, while the advertised price of attendance is $70,901. That’s a difference of $45,252.

Prices at Pacific Lutheran University over time for

$20K
$40K
$60K
$80K
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
$70,901
sticker price
$25,649
net price
Upper net price estimation
Projected net price
Lower net price estimation
YearNet in-state price at Pacific Lutheran UniversityIn-state sticker price at Pacific Lutheran University
25-26$25,649$70,901
24-25$24,903$68,839
23-24$24,179$66,837
22-23$23,841$65,904
21-22$24,825$63,563
20-21$23,568$61,810
19-20$25,368$58,258
18-19$25,362$56,784
17-18$24,174$54,800
16-17$24,567$53,308
15-16$25,219$51,838
14-15$26,112$50,258
13-14$25,086$48,308

How much a student actually pays usually depends, at least in part, on their family's household income. At Pacific Lutheran University this year, we project students with incomes over $110K will pay around $31,510, while students with incomes between $30K and $48K will pay around $14,023. That's a difference of $17,486.

Net price by income bracket, 25-26 school year

$14,897
$14,023
$20,067
$26,786
$31,510
<$30K
$30K-$48K
$48K-$75K
$75K-$110K
>$110K
Income bracketProjected net price at Pacific Lutheran University
<$30K$14,897
$30K-$48K$14,023
$48K-$75K$20,067
$75K-$110K$26,786
>$110K$31,510

School details

Located in Tacoma, WA
81% acceptance rate
Private 4-year school
71% graduation rate

Graduation Rates

A school’s graduation rate can indicate how likely a student is to complete their degree. At Pacific Lutheran University, over the last five years 71% of students earned their bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling.

71% overall grad rate
Nat’l average

Students from different demographic backgrounds often graduate at different rates, so it can be helpful to look beyond the overall graduation rate. This chart shows how students of different races and ethnicities fare earning their degrees at Pacific Lutheran University.

American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
White
Multiple races
Unknown race
Nat’l avg.
50%
69%
45%
68%
41%
74%
65%
55%
Demographic categoryGraduation rate at Pacific Lutheran UniversityNational average
American Indian/Alaska Native50%31%
Asian69%45%
Black45%34%
Hispanic68%41%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander41%28%
White74%50%
Multiple races65%37%
Unknown race55%37%

Student Retention

Student retention, or how often students return to continue their degree after completing their first year, is another helpful indicator. Over the last five years, at Pacific Lutheran University, about 79% of full-time students returned the following fall to continue their degree.

Full-time students

79%retention
Nat’l average: 64%

Part-time students

33%retention
Nat’l average: 32%

Student Demographics

The size and demographic makeup of a school’s student body can have a large impact on a student’s experience. Pacific Lutheran University has 3,021 students, which puts it in the {SIZE_PERCENTILE} percentile of private, 4-year schools.

0 students
1+ students
3,021 students

About 65% of students are female.

65% female
35% male
4% other

And about 52% of students are white.

White

52%

Hispanic

16%

Asian

11%

Multiple races

10%

Black

4%

Nonresident

2%

Unknown race

2%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

2%

American Indian/Alaska Native

1%