As a Christian liberal arts university, PLNU is committed to shaping students’ academic, personal, and spiritual growth. Our mission isn’t simply to prepare you for a career after you graduate — though that’s part of it — but to shape you into a thoughtful, service-minded, and engaged member of your community and world. In short, we are committed to helping you become who you are fully called to be.

We believe this happens when students critically explore various fields of thought across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities — such as our Foundational Explorations general education curriculum — with a concern for serving others and an openness to God’s grace at work in our communities, nations, and lives. 

Our faculty members are known for their excellence as teachers and scholars in their respective fields, as well as for their commitment to forming relationships with students built around mentorship and accountability to help students thrive academically, professionally, and spiritually.

At PLNU, the small student-to-teacher ratio of 14:1 really does mean you can have one-on-one relationships with professors who are just as concerned with who you are becoming as they are with how you are performing. We encourage students to move beyond a one-dimensional education and toward one that fosters vigorous and rewarding academic exploration through summer research programs, study abroad programs, graduate field experience projects, honors programs, and more.

Through faculty mentorships and a host of academic opportunities, you’ll develop the perspective, knowledge, wisdom, and experience necessary to pursue a purposeful career after you graduate.

At PLNU, when we talk about calling, we mean so much more than a job. What you do professionally will likely change numerous times over your lifetime. You may find yourself in a job that hasn’t even been created yet. But by pursuing a calling aligned with your and values, instead of only focusing on landing a job, you’re discovering the truest version of yourself — one that is self-actualized, confident, and aware of your strengths and shortcomings.

That way, instead of making life about finding the “right job,” you’re well versed in being true to your identity in God in all circumstances. Calling isn’t about what you do; it’s living out who God has called you to be.

Of course, understanding yourself is an important step in pursuing a career path. By taking bold steps to discover who you are called to be, you will begin uncovering your unique strengths and abilities. As you learn more about yourself in a community committed to the same kind of discovery, your career possibilities may become even broader than you originally thought.

At PLNU, we believe in pursuing calling together. Deep and meaningful relationships with your fellow students, professors, staff, and other mentors in a vital Christian community are necessary in discovering who you are called to be. You can’t do it alone. And since finding your calling isn’t a destination, being part of a community full of individuals engaged in that same endeavor will set you up to live out your calling in everything you do and every aspect of your life.

Practically and financially speaking, it’s important to consider that the sticker price can be misleading. PLNU, along with most other private, liberal arts institutions, offers generous financial aid compared to other schools that may rest on their sticker price alone. There is aid available based on merit, talent, and need. There is also a much greater chance that you will graduate in four years, rather than five or six. Both factors mean you may often find you will pay about the same, or possibly less, out-of-pocket to attend a private college than a public university.

If you choose to go to college, you will invest in an education. We believe it’s a wise purchase in life. In fact, we believe it’s one of the most meaningful purchases you will make. At PLNU, we promise to invest back into you. Our calling is to invest in people — our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community — because we believe in a unique kind of higher education. We believe in a holistic, Christian education that equips you with the knowledge, wisdom, and experience to enrich your faith and live a meaningful life.

The added value students receive from a PLNU education is an even greater investment that continues to pay off within four years and far more into the future! 

• With non-impacted classes, of the students who graduate from PLNU, more than 90% graduate in four years or less.
• Among students who take out loans, PLNU students default at an extremely low rate of just 2.7% compared to a national average of about 9.3%, according to College Factual.
• Students who graduate from PLNU earn a median starting salary of $46,400, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Those median yearly earnings increase to nearly $51,000 within six years of graduating, according to Niche.com.