Research brief & institution hub

Pacific Oaks College

CASmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #471 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 21, 2026

Azimuth ranks Pacific Oaks College #471 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Pacific Oaks College is a small private nonprofit university in Pasadena, California, built around two program families: Family & Consumer Sciences and Education. Access is well above average, and mobility is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes a subtraction to the factors it measures and a larger subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Return is modestly below average. The access and mobility sit well above average, and the admission rate is far below the median for comparable institutions.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, so the four-year earnings figure captures a population that is largely in the labor force. The two programs here are both in fields that serve people directly, and the largest one ranks near the top of its field nationally.

The college is small and focused, located in Southern California, and its programs concentrate in education and human services.

Pacific Oaks College at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 34.4%
Six-year completion^[2]: Not reported
Four-year earnings^[3]: $56,852

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: Not reported
Median student debt^[4]: $29,105
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: $12,485

Pacific Oaks College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value^[5]

Pacific Oaks College is a private nonprofit university in Pasadena, California, enrolling 312 undergraduates. The institution sits in the upper half among nonprofit four-year institutions nationally (68th percentile).

The university admits 34.4% of applicants to the reported entering class, against a median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The peer median is the middle value for institutions of the same type and size.

The four pillars sit far apart from one another. Access is the strongest (82nd percentile), and mobility is close behind (78th percentile).

Both sit in the upper third of nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is the weakest of the four pillars (42nd percentile).

Affordability cannot be assessed under the framework because the federal data does not support a pillar ranking. The spread between the strongest and weakest available measured pillars is wide.

Access is the strongest pillar for Pacific Oaks College, at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility follows at the 78th percentile.

Return is the weakest of the three pillars, at the 42nd percentile. The profile is that of a small private university where financial access and mobility outcomes are stronger than the earnings picture alone would suggest.

56.6% of undergraduates at Pacific Oaks College receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks the university #268 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The access pillar shows how many students receive need-based aid and how many finish. The mobility pillar combines access and earnings into a single measure.

Azimuth ranks the university #329 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Pacific Oaks College rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#471
California	#49
West	#88

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 78

Access & reach: National percentile: 82

Affordability: —

Return on investment: National percentile: 42

Top-ranked majors

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#3
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#46

This school’s two highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Pacific Oaks College briefing

Pacific Oaks College cost & financial aid^[6]^[7]

Pacific Oaks College lists tuition and fees at $32,520. As a private nonprofit university in Pasadena, California, it charges that same amount to every undergraduate regardless of home state.

That figure is the published price before any grants or scholarships are applied. The peer median net price at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $22,347.

That amount is what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships at those peer schools. It offers a useful benchmark for how much aid might reduce a family's out-of-pocket cost.

Because the university is private, residency does not change the tuition charge. The published amount is only the starting point before any aid is applied.

The peer median net price illustrates how grant aid can reshape the final amount a family pays.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75KNot reported

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Pacific Oaks College

Federal borrowing is the norm at Pacific Oaks College: 95.1% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $29,105.

That median is $4,105 above the peer median of $25,000 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $331 a month.

Parent borrowers hold a separate median of $12,485 in Parent PLUS loans.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Pacific Oaks College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,852, at the 39th percentile nationally. That is $937 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students. That result is at the 36th percentile.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,105 in federal loans, which corresponds to an estimated payment of $331 a month if repaid over ten years. That amount is $4,105 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,485. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $331 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt: $29,105
Institution Parent PLUS debt: $12,485

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly: $331/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: $159/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS

Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Pacific Oaks College briefing

Pacific Oaks College career outcomes & earnings^[3]^[8]^[9]

Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after graduating from Pacific Oaks College is $56,852, in the 39th percentile. That is $937 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 36th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $125.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,157. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $1,659.

The median for Pacific Oaks College graduates is $56,852 four years after completion, measured among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. The earnings cohort is 305 completers.

That median sits $937 above the $55,915 level for comparable institutions (same type and size). That earnings level is in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students. That gap is at the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program mix yields an estimate that 26.3% of graduates continue to graduate study. Azimuth ranks the university #852 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates of Pacific Oaks College earn a median of $56,852 four years after completing a degree. That figure sits $937 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #852 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 36th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $125.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,157. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $1,659.

The university's two programs with earnings data are in human-focused fields, and the earnings scenarios estimated from that mix are narrow. An estimated 26.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. The two programs with published earnings data reflect that tight range.

Human Development and Family Studies, the largest program at 73 degrees awarded, shows median earnings of $56,791 four years after completion. Teacher Education graduates earn $51,865 from 61 degrees awarded.

At Pacific Oaks College, graduates earn about $5,282 less than the model expects for similar students, and the return pillar sits at the 42nd percentile. The earnings picture calls for a close look at what students borrow.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,105 in federal student loans, $4,105 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $331 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $12,485 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: -$125
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$5,157
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$5,282

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Pacific Oaks College briefing

What are the largest majors at Pacific Oaks College?^[12]

Pacific Oaks College awards bachelor's degrees in three fields, all concentrated in human-centered professions. Family & Consumer Sciences accounts for 50.7% of degrees awarded, and Education accounts for 42.4%.

The largest program is Human Development and Family Studies, with 73 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #3 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field, and graduates earn a median of $56,791 four years after completion.

Teacher Education is the other program, awarding 61 degrees. Its graduates earn $51,865, and Azimuth ranks it #46 nationally in its field.

The earnings difference between the two programs is modest, and both sit above the national median for their respective fields.

Pacific Oaks College has 2 ranked bachelor's programs. Family & Consumer Sciences accounts for 50.7% of degrees awarded, with Education at 42.4% and Psychology at 6.9%.

Human Development and Family Studies is the largest, with 73 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #3 within its field nationally and #1 in California. Teacher Education awards 61 degrees a year.

Pacific Oaks College awards bachelor's degrees in a tight set of fields. Family & Consumer Sciences accounts for 50.7% of degrees awarded, and Education for 42.4%.

Psychology makes up the remaining 6.9%. The university has 2 programs with an Azimuth national rank, and both have published four-year earnings data.

Human Development and Family Studies is the largest, at 73 degrees awarded a year. Teacher Education follows with 61 degrees awarded.

Human Development and Family Studies is the highest-ranked program. Azimuth ranks it #1 in California within its field.

Graduates earn a median of $56,791 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.17x against the national median for the field. Teacher Education is the other ranked program, at #46 nationally and #4 in California.

Its graduates earn $51,865, a benchmark ratio of 1.09x. The pattern is concentrated: two programs in two families carry all the ranked strength, and the largest program is also the highest-ranked and highest-earning. Those two families account for the vast majority of degrees awarded.

Four-year earnings · three largest reported fields

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services 73 degrees awarded: $56,791
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 61 degrees awarded: $51,865
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology 10 degrees awarded: Too few graduates to report

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Pacific Oaks College briefing

What colleges are similar to Pacific Oaks College?^[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Pacific Oaks College.

Similar profileWarner Pacific UniversityMatched across several measures

Comparison with Pacific Oaks College
Measure	Pacific Oaks College	Warner Pacific University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$56,852	$65,093+$8,241 vs Pacific Oaks College
Average annual net price	Not reported	$25,629
Admission rate	34.4%	71.1%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 30, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 30, 2026

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Source fields: Azimuth rankings
College Azimuth · Ranking methodology
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations
College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios
College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Source fields: Azimuth statistical model
College Azimuth · Value-added methodology
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE
College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings