Pacific University

Key Highlights

• Private nonprofit university chartered in 1849
• Institution-wide NWCCU accreditation is active, with the next full evaluation scheduled for 2030
• Forest Grove serves as the residential undergraduate campus
• A regulatory-dependent corporate merger with Willamette University is anticipated in early 2027

Student Life & Environment

The Forest Grove Campus provides the university’s primary residential undergraduate experience. Its facilities include residence halls, a student center, Tran Library, an auditorium, an athletic complex, an art gallery, a makerspace, gardens, and the Old College Hall museum. The downtown location places shops, restaurants, and community events within a few blocks, making daily life possible without treating the campus as an isolated enclave. Housing and dining are available on the Forest Grove Campus. Students preparing to enroll should review the current housing application, residency rules, room types, meal plans, and cancellation terms directly with Campus Living, since these can change by entering class and academic year. Academic support, health and counseling services, and public-safety resources are also located on or near the residential campus. Recreation can extend beyond university facilities. Forest Grove sits near farmland, forests, vineyards, and outdoor areas suitable for hiking, cycling, and paddling, while Portland and the Oregon Coast are accessible for occasional trips. Students in Hillsboro-based graduate and professional programs should expect a different experience: that campus is oriented more toward professional classrooms, laboratories, clinics, and metropolitan transit access than toward traditional residential undergraduate life. Applicants should therefore evaluate student life by program location rather than assuming every Pacific campus offers the same housing or activities.

Location & Surroundings

Pacific’s main campus is at 2043 College Way in Forest Grove, on the western edge of the Portland metropolitan area. The university describes it as approximately 22 miles west of downtown Portland. The campus occupies a central downtown position, combining historic brick buildings and oak-covered grounds with shops, restaurants, and seasonal community events nearby. Public transportation connects Forest Grove with the wider metropolitan area. TriMet bus service reaches the city, the MAX light-rail network extends to Hillsboro, and a local GroveLink shuttle operates within Forest Grove. Students should still examine journey times carefully if they expect frequent travel between Forest Grove and Hillsboro, since Pacific describes the campuses as roughly 10 miles apart and different programs are assigned to different sites. The surrounding region offers a small-city setting near forests, agricultural land, vineyards, and the Oregon Coast Range. Portland provides access to a larger employment and cultural market, while the coast is approximately an hour west by car according to the university. Hillsboro-based students benefit from direct MAX access and proximity to the city’s Health and Education District.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For undergraduate study on campus, Pacific’s published 2026–2027 estimate lists $60,100 in tuition and fees and $16,834 for room and meals, producing $76,934 in direct costs. Its fuller cost-of-attendance budget adds estimated books and supplies, personal expenses, transportation, and loan fees for a total of $79,856. These figures apply to the College of Undergraduate Studies on-campus budget, not automatically to graduate or professional programs, whose tuition and required expenses vary by course. The university explains that financial aid can reduce the published price. Domestic students seeking federal and institutional need-based assistance must complete the FAFSA. Pacific also advertises merit and talent-based scholarships, but applicants should use the net-price calculator and wait for an individualized award rather than treating a maximum scholarship figure as guaranteed. International undergraduates are considered for merit awards, while the university states that it does not provide them financial-aid packages beyond merit awards or full-tuition coverage. Career preparation is integrated through internships, research, civic engagement, study abroad, clinical placements, and other field experiences, depending on the program. Academic and career advising is available to undergraduates, and Pacific’s advising resources help students explore occupations, locate internships and employment, prepare application materials and interviews, and investigate graduate study. No current, program-level salary or placement-rate evidence was found in the selected official sources, so students should request recent outcomes for their particular degree before comparing career return on cost.