SPU Facts

President

Deana L. Porterfield, EdD 

Mission

Seattle Pacific University is a Christian university fully committed to engaging the culture and changing the world by graduating people of competence and character, becoming people of wisdom, and modeling grace-filled community.

Denominational affiliation

SPU is a private university founded in 1891 by the Free Methodist Church of North America. It remains a private nonsectarian institution of Christian higher education affiliated with The Free Methodist Church USA. Responsibility for the governance and control of Seattle Pacific University rests exclusively with the Board of Trustees, which elects its own members, of which one third must be a member of a Free Methodist church.

Location

SPU’s 43-acre city campus is located in a residential neighborhood on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill, only 10 minutes from the heart of downtown Seattle. SPU also owns and operates a wilderness campus and field station on Blakely Island, and a seaside campus/retreat facility on Whidbey Island.

Enrollment

(Statistics are based on Autumn Quarter 2023)
Total enrollment: 2,662
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,085
Post-baccalaureate enrollment: 19
Graduate enrollment: 558

(Sept. 2022–Aug. 2023)
Continuing education enrollment: 1,154

Academic programs offered

Undergraduate majors: 56
Undergraduate minors: 61

Master’s degree programs: 17
Doctoral degree programs: 5

Students

(undergraduate through doctoral)

Average age of students

Undergraduate: 21
Post-baccalaureate: 37
Master’s: 32
Doctoral: 34

Gender

Men: 32%
Women: 68%

Student-faculty ratio

11:1 (based on Common Data Set definition)

Undergraduate information

Class size

85% of Autumn Quarter 2023 classes had enrollments of 30 or less.

Denominations

Students represent 58 Christian faith traditions and denominations.

Ethnic diversity

54% (undergraduate ethnic minority students)

Financial Aid

97% of students receive some type of financial aid.

First-generation students 

40% of students are the first in their family to attend a university or college.

Retention rate

75% (based on first-year persistence)

States/Countries

Students come from 36 states and 39 countries.

Top 10 undergraduate programs

By number of students enrolled Autumn Quarter and accepted into a major:

  1. Psychology
  2. Nursing
  3. Business Administration
  4. Computer Science
  5. Honors
  6. Physiology
  7. Exercise Science
  8. English
  9. Mechanical Engineering
  10. Apparel Design

More information

For more information and facts about Seattle Pacific University, you can visit these sites:

Updated Dec. 20, 2023

Find Information

You can find information about faculty, policies, financial aid, safety, student outcomes, and more in "Consumer Information."