College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of the Pacific

CAMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #201 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth puts University of the Pacific in the 86th percentile overall among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of the Pacific is a private nonprofit university in Stockton, California, where Biological Sciences and Business award the largest shares of degrees. Return is among the highest we track.

Students who complete a degree earn more than expects for similar students. The model attributes more of that gap to what it cannot explain than to the factors it measures.

The typical graduate also earns above the median at comparable schools. Pell recipients finish within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is above average.

Affordability is modestly below average, with the lowest income band averaging far below the published cost and the highest band also paying well below it. The admission rate sits within a few points of the median for comparable institutions.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the four-year earnings picture shows early-career wages.

University of the Pacific at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
71.3%
Six-year completion[2]
69.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$81,820

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$19,209
Median student debt[4]
$19,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$50,438

University of the Pacific rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of the Pacific is a private nonprofit university in Stockton, California, enrolling 3,204 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (86th percentile).

The university admits 71.3% of applicants, a rate that is close to the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Retention runs above the peer median: 88.5% of first-time, full-time students return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 69.0%, which is also above the peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 19.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

The four sit far apart. Return is the strongest, while affordability is the weakest. Access and mobility sit between them.

Return is the clearest strength in University of the Pacific’s profile, giving readers a strong outcomes signal alongside a weaker affordability showing. Azimuth places return in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university’s strongest pillar.

Azimuth puts access in the 67th percentile and mobility in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Affordability, the weakest pillar, is in the 29th percentile.

The profile pairs high return with middling access and mobility, while cost remains the main counterpoint.

Students who enrolled and submitted SAT scores landed in the middle half, ranging from 1,183 to 1,480, while ACT submitters ranged from 23 to 32. Pell Grant recipients account for 36.1% of undergraduates.

Azimuth places University of the Pacific at #484 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Within six years, Pell recipients complete at 67.4%, a figure that sits below the overall entering-cohort rate (69.0%) by 1.6 percentage points.

Azimuth ranks the university #452 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of the Pacific rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#201
California#37
West#52

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 69
Access & reach
National percentile: 67
Affordability
National percentile: 29
Return on investment
National percentile: 96

Top-ranked majors

  1. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#1
  2. Biology, General#5
  3. Computer Science#37

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

Explore major rankings

01 / University of the Pacific briefing

University of the Pacific cost & financial aid[6][7]

The price tag at University of the Pacific is far different from the average amount paid after aid. Its average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,447, compared with a published cost of attendance of $71,515 (an average across living arrangements).

The standard budget includes $57,080 in tuition and fees and $17,190 for room and board. These published charges set the sticker starting point; the describes a separate measure for aid recipients.

Average aid offsets $46,068 from the sticker price. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions, is $27,371; the university's figure is $1,924 below that median.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The aid-adjusted figure sits slightly below peers, though the sticker total remains much larger before aid.

The published cost of attendance at University of the Pacific is $71,515 (an average across living arrangements), and aid recipients’ prices vary widely by family income. Average net price is $17,004 for families in the lowest income band, $18,152 in the lower-middle band, $19,209 in the middle band, $24,323 in the upper-middle band, and $38,662 for families in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,658. Azimuth ranks the university #1,007 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 64% of the published cost. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,447, which is $1,924 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition and fees are $57,080. Aid offsets a substantial share of the sticker price, but the income-band figures show why a family-specific estimate still matters.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500, and 89.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $4,699 below the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $50,438.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$19,209

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of the Pacific

Federal loans are part of the financing picture for 89.4% of federal aid recipients at University of the Pacific. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,500.

Compared with the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is $4,699 below. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $50,438.

The higher peer median and the spread among federal borrowers describe different parts of the borrowing picture.

At University of the Pacific, the financial return picture pairs median earnings of $81,820 four years after completion with borrowing below that of comparable colleges. Azimuth places the earnings figure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 96th percentile according to Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios put earnings at $53,807 in a downside case, $81,820 in a typical case, and $143,554 in an upside case. Median federal student loan debt is $19,500, $4,699 below the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings and lower median debt point in the same direction.

For parent borrowers, a group separate from student federal loan borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $50,438. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 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
$19,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$50,438

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$222/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$641/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 / University of the Pacific briefing

University of the Pacific career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The return case at University of the Pacific rests on strong modeled and observed earnings measures. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations measure, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,415. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $19,405.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $81,820 four years after completion; Azimuth places that median in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, and the university’s median is $13,570 above it.

Above-peer earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, earnings four years after completion have a median of $81,820 at University of the Pacific. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, from an earnings cohort of 987 completers.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are favorable here. Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix run from $53,807 in the downside case through a typical case to $143,554 in the upside case. An estimated 33.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings median and the model comparison point in the same direction.

University of the Pacific posts a median of $81,820 four years after completion, in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs $13,570 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #56 for return. Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students.

The gap sits at the 96th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,415.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $19,405. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,046.

The fields involved span the sciences, business, and interdisciplinary studies, with an estimated 33.9% of graduates continuing to graduate study, based on the program mix. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $53,807 to an upside of $143,554.

The program mix leaves room for very different earnings paths. Earnings scenarios run from $53,807 in the downside case to $143,554 in the upside case; they are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates.

At University of the Pacific, borrowing below the peer median sits alongside earnings that exceed the model’s expectation. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provides one part of the return picture.

Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199; the university’s figure is below it by $4,699. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,447. At comparable institutions, the peer median is $27,371, and Pacific’s average is below it by $1,924.

Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Lower debt, a lower average net price, and above-expected earnings point in the same direction.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$1,415
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$19,405
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$20,820

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

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of the Pacific briefing

University of the Pacific acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of the Pacific admits 71.3% of applicants, nearly identical to the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
71.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
1183
Reported average
1346
Approximate upper endpoint
1480

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of the Pacific briefing

What are the largest majors at University of the Pacific?[12]

Program choice matters here because the leading fields post different median earnings. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies has median earnings of $171,261 four years after completion, with 81 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Computer Science records $147,511 and 68 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #37 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At a more moderate earnings level, Kinesiology and Physical Education posts $59,012 across 55 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #61 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The higher figures in the first two fields contrast with the more moderate median of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

A sharp difference in program earnings is the main story among University of the Pacific's 6 ranked bachelor's programs. Within its field, Azimuth places Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at #1 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; 81 degrees were awarded, and median earnings four years after completion were $171,261.

For Biology, Azimuth records a #5 national position in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside 138 degrees awarded and $83,012 in median earnings four years after completion. Computer Science holds an Azimuth ranking of #37 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions; 68 degrees were awarded and the four-year median was $147,511. The range shows why the chosen field matters to the return picture.

Biological Sciences accounts for 19.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded at University of the Pacific, with Business next at 15.7% and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 10.2%. 6 programs carry an Azimuth national rank, and 18 have published four-year earnings.

By degrees awarded, the largest programs are Biology at 138, Business Administration and Management at 98, and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 81. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies is the highest-ranked program.

Graduates earn $171,261 four years after completion, and the program carries a benchmark ratio of 3.08x against the national median for its field. It ranks #1 in California within its field.

Biology ranks #5 nationally within its field and #1 in California, with median earnings of $83,012. Computer Science ranks #37 nationally and #10 in California, at $147,511.

Mechanical Engineering graduates earn $99,573 four years after completion, from a program with 17 degrees awarded and a benchmark ratio of 1.08x against the national median for its field. Strength is concentrated rather than spread.

The highest-ranked programs include some of the largest by degrees awarded, and four-year earnings for fields where graduates often continue to graduate study may understate later trajectories. Across all fields, 40.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 138 degrees awarded
$83,012
Business Administration, Management and Operations 98 degrees awarded
$76,025
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 81 degrees awarded
$171,261
Computer Science 68 degrees awarded
$147,511
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 55 degrees awarded
$59,012
Psychology, General 44 degrees awarded
$52,612

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 / University of the Pacific briefing

How does University of the Pacific serve students from different backgrounds?

University of the Pacific posts a 69.0% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 67.4%, below the overall rate by 1.6 percentage points.

Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, adds a favorable outcome measure.

Graduates earn about $20,820 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Completion and modeled earnings both point favorably.

At University of the Pacific, the access picture pairs a 71.3% admission rate with routes beyond first-time entry. Undergraduate enrollment is 3,204, including 36.1% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants; the estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 19.7%.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell participation, and estimated transfer entry describe access across several paths.

06 / University of the Pacific briefing

What colleges are similar to University of the Pacific?[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 University of the Pacific.

Admissions peerUniversity of San Francisco61.7% admitted
Comparison with University of the Pacific
MeasureUniversity of the PacificUniversity of San Francisco
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,820$91,483+$9,663 vs University of the Pacific
Average annual net price$25,447$41,431+$15,984 vs University of the Pacific · higher cost
Admission rate71.3%61.7%
Explore University of San Francisco →
Higher-admission alternativeSaint Mary's College of California86.5% admitted
Comparison with University of the Pacific
MeasureUniversity of the PacificSaint Mary's College of California
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,820$74,325-$7,495 vs University of the Pacific
Average annual net price$25,447$30,378+$4,931 vs University of the Pacific · higher cost
Admission rate71.3%86.5%
Nearby alternativeUniversity of California-DavisNearby option · CA
Comparison with University of the Pacific
MeasureUniversity of the PacificUniversity of California-Davis
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,820$73,086-$8,734 vs University of the Pacific
Average annual net price$25,447$14,741-$10,706 vs University of the Pacific · lower cost
Admission rate71.3%41.8%
Explore University of California-Davis →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of California-Davis$14,741 average net price
Comparison with University of the Pacific
MeasureUniversity of the PacificUniversity of California-Davis
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,820$73,086-$8,734 vs University of the Pacific
Average annual net price$25,447$14,741-$10,706 vs University of the Pacific · lower cost
Admission rate71.3%41.8%
Explore University of California-Davis →
Similar profileUniversity of PortlandMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of the Pacific
MeasureUniversity of the PacificUniversity of Portland
Peer earnings · 4 years$81,820$80,459-$1,361 vs University of the Pacific
Average annual net price$25,447$28,210+$2,763 vs University of the Pacific · higher cost
Admission rate71.3%89.2%

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 Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

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.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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 uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. 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

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. 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

  15. 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