At PLNU, we view you — school counselors, transfer counselors, independent counselors — as partners in the admissions process, while knowing the applicant you're sending our way is likely one of dozens (maybe even hundreds!) on your plate. This page is meant to serve as a resource for you in hopes that it means one less email to send or call to make to get the info you need (But don't miss our contact info below if you do want to reach out). Thank you for all that you do to advocate for your students!
PLNU Counselors
Our admissions counselors and admissions leadership team would love to hear from you, whether about an applicant, a question about the process, a request for PLNU presence at an event, or even a suggestion on how to better our processes. Counselors for high school students are assigned based on the territory your school falls into (when using the "Find Your Counselor" tool for high school students, use the zip code of your high school), and counselors for transfer students are assigned based on the last name of the applicant. We also have two counselors who work with international students and U.S. citizens living abroad.
Meet the Undergraduate Admissions Team
We know you're likely juggling multiple students and their many college choices, and we also know it can be hard to find the basics. Here are a few questions we're often asked about by school counselors trying to help students find a good fit
- 21 Average class size
- 15:1 student-faculty ratio
- 60 student-run clubs on campus
- 4 weekly worship sessions
Study Abroad Opportunities
We offer dozens of study abroad opportunities to students of all majors. One important thing to note - we want all students to have the opportunity to study abroad, so when you choose a program, your financial aid goes abroad with you! The Study Abroad Office will even help students apply for scholarships to cover airfare and spending money when abroad. Clickhereto see where students can go!
Ministries on Campus
While community service isn't a requirement to be a student at PLNU, the majority of our undergrad students are involved in community service through PLNU Student Ministries. There are dozens of opportunities for students to give back to our area whether locally in San Diego throughcommunity ministries, across the border throughMinistry with Mexico, or internationally throughLoveWorksprograms. We also offer four opportunities for students to attend chapel services on campus each week and require that each residential undergrad student attend a certain number each semester. Chapel is an important part of students lives' and we want it to be relevant and something they look forward to. Services are varied in music, guest speakers, stories from our chaplain or other campus faculty or staff, or even just with students' own major or class. Chapel is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for about 45 minutes and Thursday nights for about an hour.
Fortune 500 Companies Headquartered in the San Diego Area
Another perk of being located in San Diego: a huge city that's not just a "college town." That means PLNU students have access to many leading internships opportunities and less competition.
Ready to network and help you explore career options
Another perk of small school like PLNU: individual career counseling. PLNU's Career Services team has folks ready to work with your students individually from day one — not only to help ensure they're in the right major but to connect them with PLNU alums working in their field of interest, to help them find a relevant internship, and to set them up for success when it comes to job or grad school opportunities after graduating.
PLNU students complete internships and other field experience
Hands-on experience is foundational to every area of study at PLNU. That's why, in addition to the obvious opportunities like teacher ed student teaching or clinicals for nursing students, you'll find internships offered in each of our departments.
Why should I encourage my students to apply Early Action?
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.
Should my student file FAFSA if they don't qualify for CalGrant?
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.
What are your "minimums"?
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 circ*mstance 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!
What is the interview like?
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!
What does my student need for the letters of recommendation (what does ‘spiritual’ mean, email directly, etc.)?
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.
How does my student submit their transcripts?
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.
What do we look for in applicants?
As with any college, PLNU seeks the illusive "well rounded student" — great grades, involved in their schools, churches, and communities, and seeking an environment like PLNU. That means that while we love academic achievers, those grades are not the only factor in admission. A GPA will never automatically mean students are in the "sure thing" pile or the "inadmissible" pile; each application gets a full review to ensure we have a sense of all the applicant will bring to the table. We read every essay and each line of those letters you send our way. We encourage students to interview so we can get to know them more. We look for ways they could thrive in our community. So while we can say we're proud that our average applicant has a 3.85 cumulative, weighted GPA, we're also proud to say our minimum GPA to be considered for general admission is a cumulative, weighted 2.8 because we have room for students who may have taken a bit longer to find their footing in the classroom but will bring other valuable things to the PLNU community. We also have a few provisional admissions pathways for students with GPAs below that minimum, who have extenuating circ*mstances that have meant their GPA is not reflective of their academic capabilities.
Step-by-step Application Process
The application process at PLNU is pretty straightforward. High school students can apply via CommonApp or the PLNU web application.
- We require official transcripts (from you - not from the student), a $55 application fee or fee waiver (we don't offer waivers, but accept CollegeBoard, ACT or NACAC fee waivers!), and two letters of recommendation (see below for more details).
- Transfer students have to apply via the PLNU web application, and we require a fee or fee wavier, the same two letters of recommendation, and all official college transcripts.
- If the transfer has fewer than 36 college units completed at the time of application, we also require official high school transcripts.
- PLNU is test optional - students are able to send test scores in if they want to, and we'll consider them, but they're not required, and there are no negative ramifications or implications for a student who does not submit a test score. About 80% of our Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 freshman classes applied without a test score.
Application Timeline
Students applying immediately out of high school (or students who haven't taken any college courses after graduating high school):
Early Action (non-binding) timeline:
Application deadline: Nov. 15
Decision notification: mailed out (yes, we still send initial decisions via snail mail!) around Dec. 15
Deposit deadline: May 1
General Admission timeline:
Application deadline: Feb. 15
Decision notification: mailed out around between late-February to mid-April
Deposit deadline: May 1
Students applying as transfer students:
Fall timeline:
Application deadline: Feb. 15
Decision notification: mailed out around between late-February to mid-April
Deposit deadline: May 1
Spring timeline (*note: generally, we only accept transfer applications at the spring semester, but we are open to considering students who haven't taken courses after graduating high school on a case-by-case basis. Please connect with your admissions counselor)
Application deadline: Oct. 1
Notification deadline: rolling
Deposit deadline: Nov. 1
Our admissions counselors would love to connect with your students personally in whatever way we can! We spend most of September and October on the road and are available for virtual meetings, presentations, and interviews year-round.
Meet Your Counselor
What is the interview like?
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!
Admissions Interview Information
What does my student need for the letters of recommendation?
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.
Letter of Recommendation Information
How does my student submit their transcripts?
We accept transcripts just about every way you can submit them. Email: A transcript emailed directly from you, the counselor, is considered offcial. 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.
Transcript Submission Information
Current in-person and virtual visit opportunities and events
Our admissions counselors would love to connect with your students personally in whatever way we can! We spend most of September and October on the road and are available for virtual meetings, presentations, and interviews year round.
Invite us to a fair
Would you like to have PLNU represented at your school, college fair, transfer fair, or other event? We spend a lot of the fall and some time in the spring visiting schools and events for college-bound students. Click here to request an admissions counselor visit you!
Request a group tour
Students can join a campus tour just about any weekday, but we also love hosting your groups on campus — a college prep club, an AVID group, an athletic team. We'd love to set up a group tour for you! Click here for availability.
SFS/Tuition costs
While PLNU's sticker price may be high, often the actual cost that students end up paying is significantly lower! At PLNU, 91% of students receive financial aid, and our Admissions and Student Financial Services teams are here to talk your applicants through the process. Students can also determine their merit award before even applying by using our calculator here.
Testing Policy
For admissions purposes: PLNU is test optional for non-international students. We don't require an SAT or ACT to apply, be considered for admission, or be admitted. For international applicants whose high school level education has not been conducted in English, we require either a TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo score. We accept scores from tests taken at test sites OR home-based tests. If a student feels their SAT or ACT score demonstrates academic ability not reflected by their high school GPA, they're welcome to submit a test score to be included in admissions consideration. For the purpose of merit scholarships: each merit scholarship offered at PLNU is available to students with or without a test score. To see the required GPAs and access the merit scholarship calculator, click here. For students whose GPA is lower than our minimum non-test merit scholarship requirement, an SAT/ACT score may be submitted to qualify for a merit scholarship, as there's also a sliding-scale awarding method. To see the merit scholarship entire chart, click here.
Our Majors
PLNU is a small school, but our students certainly aren't limited when it comes to areas of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do most students choose to study at PLNU?
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!
How long will it take for my students to graduate?
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!
What’s your retention rate?
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.
What type of student will thrive at 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!
Are your faculty qualified?
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.
Will you help my students get jobs?
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.
Is PLNU safe?
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.
How will my kids be able to pay for a PLNU education?!
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 sophom*ore 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.
Do you require my students to take a foreign language in HS in order to apply to PLNU?
Nope!
What about at PLNU? Will they have to take a foreign language here?
Yep!
But what if they really hate foreign language?
Sorry!
What are your average numbers?
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.
Aah, my student doesn’t meet those averages! Should they still apply?
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 circ*mstances, 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!
Any stand-out stats or numbers I should know?
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.
Can students live on campus?
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?!
Can we get to the ocean on campus?
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!
