Pacific University Enrollment Edges Closer to Year 2020 Goal

Pacific University's student enrollment continues to march toward to its ambitious Year 2020 goal of 4,000 total students, to be evenly split among those pursuing undergraduate and graduate/professional degrees (2,000 and 2,000).

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment recently released the university's Fall 2018 enrollment summary, which shows Pacific's total student headcount at 3,985, an increase of 48 from the previous year (3,937).

The number includes 2,069 students pursuing a graduate or professional degree, the second consecutive year that figure has exceeded 2,000.

Pacific's undergraduate enrollment also increased — by 11 students to 1,904 — on the strength of perennially popular majors business, biology and exercise science, as well as the rapid growth of the university's music program.

For the first time, the number of music majors at Pacific exceeded 100 following the addition of more than 20 music therapy transfer students from recently closed Marylhurst University. Pacific's music therapy program is now the only one in Oregon for the emerging field.

Pacific offers a vast array of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across five colleges (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Health Professions and Optometry), providing a plethora of career pathways for students while enabling the university to sustain itself as a leader in contemporary higher education — all the while maintaining a close, nurturing learning environment for students.

Pacific's mission of serving the global community through education is contingent on university's commitment to keeping higher education accessible and affordable to prospective students of all backgrounds.

The steady growth of Pacific's endowment, which now stands at $74 million, has increased financial aid opportunities across the university. The endowment has been bolstered by the initial success of the university's $80 million Lead On campaign, of which $50 million has already been secured through gifts and pledges.

Following is a breakdown of Pacific's Fall 2018 enrollment by college:

  • Arts & Sciences | undergraduate: 1,577; graduate/professional: 120
  • Business | undergraduate: 114; graduate/professional: 37
  • Education | undergraduate: 137; graduate/professional: 278
  • Health Professions | undergraduate: 75; graduate/professional: 1,236
  • Optometry | undergraduate: 0; graduate/professional: 378
  • Other | undergraduate: 1; graduate/professional: 20; non-degree/certificate: 12
  • FALL 2018 TOTAL: 3,985 (undergraduate: 1,904; graduate/professional: 2,069; non-degree/certificate: 12).

Fall 2017 Total: 3,937 (undergraduate: 1,893; graduate/professional: 2,026; non-degree/certificate: 18).

Pacific University is a small, but diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Tracing its roots to 1849, when it was chartered as a school for orphans of the Oregon Trail, Pacific has long been devoted to making a difference in the world. Today, students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn. At Pacific University, students and faculty develop close, nurturing relationships that provide an extraordinary educational experience.

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018