School Counselor Resources

Early Action at PLNU is non-binding. Students who complete their application by Nov. 15 are on track to hear from us before Christmas. Because PLNU's enrollment is capped, there are certain majors that "fill up," specifically nursing and biology-chemistry. Every seat is open in these majors at Early Action, which is obviously not the case at our February general deadline. For Fall 2021, 60% of Early Action nursing applicants were admitted, as opposed to 11% of general admission applicants. While these numbers aren't as dramatic in other majors, it's safe to tell your applicants their odds of being admitted are higher at Early Action. If students aren't admitted at Early Action, 90% of applications will be rolled over to the general admission deadline and considered again. The only students whose applications are not rolled over are students who won't have a chance at admission for academic or other fit reasons.

As most schools will say, we encourage all students to file FAFSA and include PLNU. We award institutional need-based aid to students even if they don't meet CalGrant income requirements.

Generally, we consider high school students for standard admission who have a cumulative, weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher. The average admitted student to PLNU for Fall 21 had a cumulative, weighted 3.96 GPA. That being said, PLNU has a holistic admissions review process, so our incoming class included students with varied GPAs from 3.9 to 4.5 to 2.8. For students with a GPA below 2.8, we have a few provisional admissions options for which we can consider "great fit" students — specifically students who have an extenuating circumstance that shows a clear reason that their GPA is low. We'd love to talk to you more about students in this category!

For transfer students, our general minimum to be considered is a cumulative college GPA of 2.0, while our average admitted student in Fall 21 had a cumulative 3.3 GPA. Again, if a student is below that minimum but still a student you'd recommend, please reach out to us to talk about alternate paths of admission!

Interviews aren't required, but are highly recommended, not only as a way for our admissions counselors to put a face to the application, but as a way for students to meet their advocates and get questions answered! The interview is no longer than 30 minutes face-to-face, over the phone, or via Zoom, and all questions are about the applicant. There are no right or wrong answers, trick questions, or PLNU trivia, so students don't need to "prepare" in any way — we just ask that they're ready to share about themselves, their interests, their involvements, and their goals!

We ask for two letters of recommendation here - an academic letter and a spiritual leader letter. We don't get many questions about the academic letter, but that can come from a counselor or teacher. We are often asked about the spiritual leader letter, and advise folks to think of it as a personal letter of rec. If your student is close to a pastor or youth group leader, great. If not, the letter can be submitted by a mentor, small group leader, boss, coach - any non-family member who can speak to their character.

We accept transcripts just about every way you can submit them.
Email: A transcript emailed directly from you, the counselor, is considered official. Send it to us at admissions@pointloma.edu.
Electronically: We accept electronic submissions via National Clearinghouse, Naviance, eScript, SCOIR, or Parchment.
Mail: If it's easiest to send a hard copy, mail it to PLNU Admissions, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego, CA 92106.

One thing to note: If your student starts a CommonApp but ends up submitting a PLNU web application (instead of their CommonApp), anything you submit via CommonApp is NOT accessible to us. We can't access transcripts, letters, etc. for any unsubmitted CommonApp.

The largest departments at PLNU:

• Business
• Nursing/Pre-Nursing
• Biology (includes all of the “pre-s”)
• Kinesiology
• Psychology

… but we also have more than 60 majors/areas of study, and they all have their own amazing stats, accolades, and cheer-points!

Of the students who graduate from PLNU, 87% of them do so within four years. We also offer a few fun fifth-year options — students can get a fifth-year MBA, fifth-year MS-KIN (Master of Science in Kinesiology) … even a fifth-year MA-Ed (Master of Arts in Education), complete with CA teaching credential. All great options for your overachievers!

Over the last five years, on average, 86% of our first-year class has returned for their second year. It’s not too hard to decide to return to PLNU.

I’m sure every college says this, but we like to think that PLNU does best with well-rounded students. PLNU students are achievers both in the classroom and beyond — about 89% are involved in campus ministry opportunities on top of their cocurricular teams, clubs, and societies. There’s a lot to keep students busy here!

More than 90% of PLNU full-time faculty have their Ph.D., or the highest degree available in their field. And ensuring faculty have a Christian background, as well as current involvement in their church, is a big part of our faculty hiring process.

PLNU’s Office of Career Services exists to help your students with the next step in their career journey. Unsure of which major to choose? Career Services offers assessments and appointments available to help them discover what they’re great at or where they want to spend their time. Ready for an internship (which is a part of all PLNU majors)? Career Services is connected to industries and organizations all over San Diego (and elsewhere!), and will not only help students find a great fit for their internship but prepare them for the hiring process with writing workshops for resumes and cover letters, business-attire fashion shows, etiquette dinners, mock interviews, and more. Looking for a job or to get into grad school? Career services can help with everything we’ve already talked about AND their many networking events, where professionals (representing each major at least once a year) visit campus to share about how their degree got them where they are … and to look for potential new hires.

Statistically speaking, we’re the safest college campus in San Diego county (and a couple neighboring counties)! We’re fortunate to have the ocean, the Navy, and one of the safest neighborhoods in San Diego along our surrounding perimeter. The entrance you drove through is the only way on and off campus, and it’s staffed 24/7 by PLNU’s Public Safety, which also patrols campus day and night and is always available to give students a ride upon request.

While the sticker price may seem high, the actual cost most students and families end up paying for a PLNU education is much more affordable and impactful than you may think! Thanks to donors, alumni, churches, grants, and other supporters, what a student ultimately ends up paying for PLNU education is about 79% of the actual cost for that student to attend. The rest is covered by gifts! On top of that, 91% of PLNU students receive additional financial aid.

• Merit aid ranges from $12,000 per year to full tuition, is guaranteed for students’ first two years, and is renewable through graduation.
• Athletic aid (NCAA D2) can also cover full tuition for student-athlete recruits.
• Music scholarships (for both majors and non-majors) generally range from $2,000 to $6,000 per year. 
• Speech and Debate and Theatre scholarships are also available — the amounts vary. 
• PLNU’s high-achieving science, math, computer science, and engineering students are eligible to compete for major-specific aid before they enroll at PLNU, which generally ranges from an additional $2,000 to $5,000 on top of their merit award.
• Each student can apply for major scholarships starting sophomore year.
• Need-based aid is plentiful — students can qualify for need aid even if they don’t qualify for federal or state-based need aid, and need grants can be as large as $10,000.

Nope!

Yep!

Sorry!

An average admitted student in our 2018 freshman class had about a 3.9 cumulative, weighted GPA, and about a 1260 on the SAT, or a 26 on the ACT.

Absolutely! While we get more applicants than PLNU has room for, we give each application a full two reads (first by the student’s counselor, then by the admissions committee), so students who have compelling stories, extenuating circumstances, or just took a really challenging course-load are still of great value to the PLNU community! Each year, we admit students with 3.7, 4.6, and 2.8 GPAs. The student’s whole application really matters!

Sure! 

• Our student loan default rate is one of the lowest among our peer schools at 2.9%.
• More than 90% of PLNU pre-med students get into med school, and 80% of them get into their first choice.
• Over the last 10 years, an average of 92% of our nursing students pass their RN exam on their first try. 
• Over the last three years, our accounting majors pass all four parts of the CPA on their first try at a rate that places PLNU among the top five programs in the state of California.
• PLNU’s dietetics program is ACEND-accredited (Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics) — and we’re the only Christian school in the state to achieve such.
• PLNU’s athletic training program is one of just 15 CAATE (Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education) programs in the state of California.
• Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named PLNU a Best-Value Private College three of the last five years.
• PLNU’s Speech and Debate team has ranked in the top 20 programs in the U.S. for the past 15 years, including two first-place finishes!
• PLNU’s Surf Team routinely places in the top ten finishers in their tournaments around the world.

Definitely! In fact, 70% of our entire student body chooses to live here. First- and second-years are asked to live on campus, and third- and fourth-years can live on or off campus. But really, where else are you going to go with views like this?!

Sure can! Did you know both SURFER Magazine and Surfing.com rated PLNU one of the top ten surf schools in the U.S.? Head south or west at every turn and you’ll face the ocean. Young Hall, one of our on-campus residence halls, is yards from one of the best local surf spots in one of California’s best surf towns. You’ll have to navigate Sunset Cliffs if you actually want to touch the water, but surfers and students alike do so with bare feet all year round!