Active Report Report ID: EDU-120768-2026

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA 91103

Acceptance rate34.38%Selective
Tuition$32,520Published sticker
Median salary$52,48510yr post-entry

About Pacific Oaks College

Pacific Oaks College is a private research university in Pasadena, California, enrolling about 312 students. Admission is moderately selective for first-time degree-seeking undergraduates reporting admissions data to the Education Department. The acceptance rate is about 34.38% in the latest College Scorecard admissions data. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $52,485 among students who received federal aid.

Key findings

  • Versus the California median, sticker tuition is about 4.0×.
  • Median earnings 10 years after entry are $52,485.

Cost benchmarks

Benchmark Median Tuition Median Net Price Count
Pacific Oaks College$32,5201
Private Non-profit (national median)$29,3251,444
California (state median)$8,093$8,343287
Suburban (locale median)$13,135$18,048684
United States (national median)$11,900$17,156

Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.

Cost

How expensive is Pacific Oaks College really?

Source College Scorecard + EDsmart aggregatesMethod Sticker vs net; peer mediansUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Undergraduate (Title IV net price)Confidence Federal extract

Key findings

  • Pacific Oaks College charges 11% above the national private non-profit median tuition ($32,520).
  • Versus the California median, sticker tuition is about 4.0×.
Published sticker

Pacific Oaks College tuition

Published undergraduate tuition $32,520

Finding Pacific Oaks College charges 11% above the national private non-profit median tuition.

Evidence Published tuition is $32,520. That is 11% above the national private non-profit median ($29,325). Versus the California median ($8,093), sticker tuition is about 4.0×. Versus the U.S. median ($11,900), sticker is about 2.7×.

Method Sticker tuition compared with Scorecard-derived medians by ownership, state, locale, and national rollups when available.

Interpretation Published tuition measures sticker price relative to private non-profit and geographic peers; it does not equal what undergraduates typically pay after aid.

Limitation Sticker comparisons omit room, board, and institutional aid; average net price and income-band net prices are the stronger signals of typical family cost.

Evidence: published tuition at Pacific Oaks College versus school-type, state, locale, and U.S. medians.

School guide

Pacific Oaks College: research record

Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Pacific Oaks College—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.

Research findings

Interpretation

Median earnings should be read with net price, debt, and completion—not as a standalone quality score.

Financial profile

Annual tuition

$32,520

Sticker tuition × four years (estimate, no room/board): $130,080. See cost investigation.

Student outcomes

$47,962Median earnings (6 years after entry)

Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.

Admissions landscape

  • Selective — about half of applicants (or fewer) are admitted.
  • Yield: 67% of admitted students enrolled.

See Admissions for the full funnel.

Is Pacific Oaks College a good school?

Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.

Pacific Oaks College is a good school for those looking for strong graduate earnings outcomes in College Scorecard data.

EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.

Earnings outcomes
Campus snapshot

More from the data

Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Pacific Oaks College.

Campus

Location

Pasadena, CA

City / state

ZIP
91103
NCES locale
Suburb

Compared with Suburban campuses nationally, tuition is about 2.5× the median for Suburban campuses.

Control

Institution type

Private Non-profit

Control

Region
Far West
Carnegie
Master's Colleges and Universities: Small Programs

Size

Enrollment

312

Total enrollment

Undergraduate
504
Graduate
756
Full-time share
0%

Student aid

Debt & aid

$29,105

Median federal loan debt

Pell grant share
56.65%
Cost detail

Total Cost, Aid & Default

Total Cost of Attendance

$130,0804-year tuition
$19,185Room & board (annual, on-campus estimate)
$2,099Books & supplies (annual estimate)
$53,804Estimated annual sticker (tuition + room/board + books)
$215,216Estimated 4-year sticker (before aid)

Tuition vs average net price after aid for Pacific Oaks College.

Financial Aid by Income Level

56.65% Undergraduates receiving aid through grants
74.28% Undergraduates receiving aid through loans

Financial aid distribution by income level.

Student Loan Default Rate

0.00% 3-year cohort default rate (College Scorecard)

The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Pacific Oaks College was 0.00%.

Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.

Multi-year tracker

Tuition tracker

Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Pacific Oaks College in that year.

Reporting years in the table below: 20182023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).

Year In-state tuition & fees Out-of-state tuition & fees Average net price
2018$13,688$13,688
2019$13,688$13,688
2020$11,692$11,692
2021$11,692$11,692
2022$11,692$11,692
2023$33,360$33,360

Sticker tuition and net price over time

Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.

College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).

Net price by family income

Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).

Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.

Access

How difficult is it to get in?

Acceptance Rate

34.38%Acceptance rate
30Total applicants
3Students admitted
2First-time students enrolled
66.67%Yield (enrolled ÷ admitted)

This institution is selective, accepting about half of all applicants.

Applicants → admits → first-time enrollment from College Scorecard / IPEDS. Bar widths are scaled for readability at highly selective schools.

Test Scores

Test score data is not available for this institution.

Score distribution is not available for this institution.

Academic Requirements

GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.

Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.

Student body

Enrollment & Student Demographics

Pacific Oaks College reported total enrollment of about 312 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 11% male and 89% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes Hispanic or Latino (49.7%), White (20.8%), and Black or African American (15.7%). About 56.65% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 57.8% of students are first-generation college students.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

0.3% Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at Pacific Oaks College in 2024 is 312 students.

Undergraduate enrollment is about 504 students. Graduate enrollment is about 756 students.

Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.

Retention Rate over Time

N/A%
2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.

Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

49.7%Hispanic or Latino
9Reported race/ethnicity groups

Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.

  • Hispanic or Latino49.7%
  • White or Caucasian20.8%
  • Black or African American15.7%
  • Race/ethnicity unknown6.1%
  • Two or More Races3.9%
  • Asian2.2%
  • Non-Resident Alien1.0%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.3%
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0.3%

College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).

Outcomes

Do students complete their programs?

Time to Complete

0.00% 100% Completion Time

0.00% 150% Completion Time

In 2024, 0.00% of students graduating from Pacific Oaks College completed their program within 100% "normal time".

Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.

Completions by Sex (Top Programs)

  • Human Development and Family Studies, General: 6% male / 94% female
  • Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling: 15% male / 85% female
  • Early Childhood Education & Teaching: 10% male / 90% female

IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).

Completions by Race & Ethnicity

163Hispanic or Latino
7Reported groups

Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.

  • Hispanic or Latino163
  • White or Caucasian65
  • Black or African American41
  • Asian15
  • Two or More Races14
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0

Summed across program completion records in our extract.

Outcomes & academic profile

Pacific Oaks College graduates earn a median of $52,485 ten years after entry

Source College ScorecardMethod Earnings + debt + net price modelsUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Institution-wideConfidence Federal extract

Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Pacific Oaks College.

Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $52,485. Median federal loan debt: $29,105.

Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.

Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.

Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.

Key takeaway Pacific Oaks College graduates report median earnings of $52,485 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.

Return on Investment

$52,485Median annual earnings (10 years)
$29,105Median student debt
55.45%Debt-to-earnings ratio
5.5 yearsEstimated payback period

Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Pacific Oaks College.

Top Programs by Completions

Largest 8 programs by IPEDS completions (9 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).

  1. Early Childhood Education & Teaching 62
  2. Social Work 13
  3. Education, Other 4

IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Pacific Oaks College.

Employment Outcomes

$52,485Median earnings (10 years after entry)
$47,962Median earnings (6 years after entry)
$48,152Median earnings (8 years after entry)
85.79%Working & not enrolled (8-year cohort share)

Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Pacific Oaks College graduates.

How financially powerful is this institution?

Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Pacific Oaks College—endowment assets (fiscal year 2023), instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.

Institutional endowment

$11.1M

End-of-year assets · Fiscal year 2023

Start of year: $11.4M

Year change: -$366,763

  • California median 0.56× the median ($19.7M)
  • Far West median 0.66× the median ($16.8M)
  • U.S. median 0.42× the median ($26.4M)

Per FTE: $14,709

  • California median 2.0× the median ($7,407)
  • Far West median 2.0× the median ($7,260)
  • U.S. median 1.2× the median ($12,100)

Instructional Resources

  • Full-time faculty share: 13.2%
    • California median 26.2 pp below median (39.3%)
    • Far West median 32.5 pp below median (45.7%)
    • U.S. median 44.8 pp below median (58.0%)
  • Average faculty salary (monthly): $7,053
    • California median 0.69× the median ($10,166)
    • Far West median 0.73× the median ($9,635)
    • U.S. median 0.93× the median ($7,615)
  • Instructional expenditure per FTE: $5,507
    • California median 0.85× the median ($6,474)
    • Far West median 0.78× the median ($7,030)
    • U.S. median 0.76× the median ($7,288)

Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.

Pacific Oaks College at a glance

Institution snapshot

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA 91103 · Private Non-profit · Far West

Pacific Oaks College is a private non-profit institution in Pasadena, CA, classified as Master's Colleges and Universities: Small Programs.

Tuition$32,520
Enrollment312
Acceptance rate34.38%
Pell Grant share56.65%
First-generation57.8%
Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
Human Development and Family Studies, GeneralMarriage and Family Therapy/CounselingEarly Childhood Education & Teaching
Largest enrollment groups
Hispanic or Latino49.7%
White or Caucasian20.8%
Black or African American15.7%
Nearby

Schools near Pacific Oaks College

Other campuses in Pasadena, CA when available, plus nearby institutions in California.

Peers

Similar schools

Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within California, then by similar ownership and admissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Pacific Oaks College located?

Pacific Oaks College is located in Pasadena, CA.

What is Pacific Oaks College's acceptance rate?

The acceptance rate at Pacific Oaks College is 34.4% among first-time degree-seeking students reporting admissions data. IPEDS reports 30 applicants and 3 admits in the latest admissions cycle in our extract.

What is Pacific Oaks College's tuition?

Pacific Oaks College tuition (published undergraduate sticker price) is $32,520 in the latest College Scorecard data.

How much does Pacific Oaks College cost?

Reported tuition is $32,520 and average net price is N/A in the latest College Scorecard data. On-campus room and board is estimated at $19,185 annually.

What is the student body demographics at Pacific Oaks College?

Pacific Oaks College reports undergraduate enrollment of about 504 students, Hispanic or Latino (49.7%), White (20.8%) in federal College Scorecard data.

How many first-generation students attend Pacific Oaks College?

About 57.8% of students at Pacific Oaks College are first-generation college students.

What do graduates of Pacific Oaks College earn?

Median earnings are $47,962 six years after entry and $52,485 ten years after entry.

How much debt do Pacific Oaks College students have?

Median federal loan debt among completers is $29,105.

Is Pacific Oaks College public or private?

Pacific Oaks College is a private nonprofit institution located in Pasadena, CA.

Is Pacific Oaks College an HBCU?

No. Pacific Oaks College is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.

Is Pacific Oaks College a tribal college?

No. Pacific Oaks College is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.

Is Pacific Oaks College a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?

By the common federal eligibility proxy used here (≥25% Hispanic enrollment in College Scorecard), yes—Pacific Oaks College reports 49.7% Hispanic enrollment share.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology & Data Scope

This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.

Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.