The Measure of Success

You can be sure that the main goal of any college experience is to prepare you for the moment you step off campus and into the working world – to prepare you to be successful. But not all colleges are the same. PLU is distinguished by the way we measure success. Our goal is to prepare you both for success in a career and for success in service to others.

We think college is both about finding yourself and about finding a career. At PLU we want to make sure you have the opportunity to discover your passion – maybe one you didn’t know you had – even if you know exactly what you want to do after you graduate. Here you’ll have the freedom to explore a course of study wherever your interests lead you, in both professional programs and the liberal arts.

When you first start college, it might be difficult to see yourself in a career in just a few years. But a lot happens during your four years in school that will help you focus and grow. In particular at PLU, the combination of being challenged to excel and the mentoring and support you receive helps you discover your passion and the special contributions you can make to the world.

At graduation you’ll join a network of more than 40,000 fellow Lutes whose ties run deep. It’s a community similar to what you’ve found on campus – people who seek out challenges and have figured out how to conquer them. And as you start your career in the workplace, begin medical school or begin student teaching, you’ll find that these are people you can rely on.

While many recent PLU graduates began their college careers uncertain about their life goals, after graduation they built successful careers and became community leaders in just about every area you can imagine. You can too.

Lutes at the Legislature

You can find many PLU students and alumni at the State Capitol in Olympia, Wash., contributing at every level of the legislative process.

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Americans abroad

Meet two students who found themselves working overseas as part of the prestigious U.S. Fulbright program.

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A life of service looking outward

Mark Carrato ’94, a foreign service officer with USAID’s Power Africa program, realized that working for the government would put him in a position to institute real change.

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Life After PLU

We estimate that:

  • More than 600 of our graduates are dentists or physicians
  • About 3,600 have careers in accounting, business, finance or economics
  • More than 5,000 educators and 3,200 nurses have PLU degrees
  • Almost 1,200 PLU graduates have careers in the law, public service and civil service
  • 350 graduates work in the performing or creative arts
  • About 800 graduates work in advertising, marketing and communications
  • More than 2,000 are employed in fields related to chemistry, biology, math, computer science and engineering
  • ‘More than 1,000 alumni work in social services, nonprofit organizations and churches