PLU Mission

PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care — for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.

Quick Facts

2,785 Students

2,366 Undergraduates and 388 Graduates

80.2% Retention Rate (Fall ’24 Cohort)

45.7 % 4-Year Graduations Rate (Fall ’21 Cohort)

64.0% 6-Year Graduation Rate (Fall ’19 Cohort)

Retention rate: Fall 2023 first-year students, measuring their return for the second year, reflects our commitment to student engagement and success. It improved from 79.3% for fall 2022 first-year students compared to 77.6% in the previous fall.

Explore Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness supports the University’s efforts toward mission fulfillment through the coordination and management of strategic planning and progress; institutional accreditation and improvement; and data integration and institutional research.

40
% Students of Color
45
% First Generation Students
20
% First-Time Undergraduate
50
% Commuter Students
80
% Undergraduates Receive Financial Aid or Scholarships
Staff:
350

Full-time Staff: 333

Faculty:
300

205 full-time faculty

Tenure/Tenure-track Faculty:
120

12 : 1
Student-to-Faculty Ratio

Distribution of Undergraduate & Graduate Demographics

Gender Expression

Distribution of Students Across Academic Colleges

Top 6 State Enrollment

Top 5 WA County Enrollment

Top 5 Declared Majors

1. Nursing: 25.8%

2. Business Administration: 12.4%

3. Biology: 6.7%

4. Kinesiology: 6.5%

5. Psychology: 5.0%

Top 5 Intended Majors

1. Nursing: 30.5%

2. Business Administration: 10.3%

3. Kinesiology: 8.5%

4. Biology: 7.5%

5. Education: 6.8%

Post Graduate Data

Bachelor's Summary

Average Full-Time Salary : $61, 167

Note: Postgraduate outcomes were collected from 2022 to 2024.

Master's Summary

Average Full-Time Salary : $98, 434

University Headcount

Student TypeFall 2025Fall 2024Fall 2023Fall 2022Fall 2021Fall 2020
Undergraduate Headcount236624012350225323312509
Graduate Headcount388348342332331361
Total275427492692258526622870

Credit Hours Generated

Student TypeFall 20252024-252023-242022-232021-222020-21
Undergraduate207444774310424343724184
Graduate57619451249149215931680
Total265355225559573559655864

Full-Time Equivalencies

Student TypeFall 2025Fall 2024Fall 2023Fall 2022Fall 2021Fall 2020
Undergraduate FTE235423692317220722912493
Graduate FTE311272266262261292
Total FTE266526412583246925522785

First-Year Retention Rates

CategoryFall 2024Fall 2023Fall 2022Fall 2021Fall 2020Fall 2019
Number in Cohort550624526510589597
Number Retained441508416393454467
Retention Rate80%81%79%77%77%78%

Graduation Rates - Bachelors Cohort

Fall CohortReport Year6 Year Rate5 Year Rate4 Year Rate
20182024-2569%68%66%
20172023-2471%70%50%
20162022-2372%71%63%
20152021-2269%68%59%
20142020-2171%70%63%
20132019-2069%68%59%

Graduated by College Headcount

College2024-252023-242022-232021-222020-212019-20
Health Profession327225208173175125
Professional Studies283210248225237222
Liberal Studies124109137141129163
Natural Sciences137127132120122148

PELL & Loan Recipients

Academic YearPELL RecipientsLoan Recipients
2025-2646%89%
2024-2543%88%
2023-2438%88%
2022-2336%91%
2021-2242%93%
2020-2136%93%