Admissions

Admission requirements are determined by the degree program you plan to study, and the type of student you are: Undergraduate or Graduate/Professional.  See the categories below for more detailed information.

Admissions and Transfer Policies

Pacific University admits* students based on their demonstrated preparedness to succeed in the course of study leading to the given degree and, where relevant, in the professions that the degree serves. Within established university protocols respecting requirements by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities and, where applicable, specialized accreditation requirements, each academic program defines the specific qualifications required for admission and has the authority to make exceptions in order to support the most appropriate admissions decisions based on holistic assessments of applicants.

* Criteria for admissions is distinct from criteria for transfer of credits. Transfer of credits for application to Pacific degrees is governed by the “University Transfer Policy;” undergraduate transfer is additionally governed by the “Undergraduate Transfer Credits Policy.”

Electronic Transcript Acceptance

Pacific University will accept e-transcripts for transfer of credit and admission purposes if the following criteria are met:

• The transcript is a PDF certified document that has no indication of tampering
• The transcript is certified as official from a high school, college or university using a third-party agency for the certification process
• Approved agencies currently are limited to Credentials Solutions, Common App, Avow Systems, Docufide, National Student Clearinghouse, and Scrip-Safe. Others may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
• A Pacific University official in the Registrar’s or Admission’s Offices has received the transcript directly from one of the above approved services. Pacific will not accept a forwarded transcript from an unaffiliated source unless it has been pre-approved by the Registrar.
• Pacific University has the right to refuse an e-transcript or require additional information prior to accepting an e-transcript as official if there is question about the document’s authenticity.

Readmission After Absence 

Students wishing to return to Pacific following the conditions of an approved Leave of Absence do not have to apply for readmission. Any other student, after an absence of one semester or more, must apply for readmission at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the semester. Applying for readmission also is required of students wishing to return after an absence of any length if they did not formally withdraw from the university. The application for Readmission may be downloaded at http://www.pacificu.edu/registrar/forms. Readmitted students who have attended courses at other academic institutions during their time away from Pacific must submit official transcripts of the work to the Registrar’s Office. Contact the office of the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs at 503-352-2201 with questions.

Graduate/Professional Students

Students seeking admission to a graduate or professional program should view each program’s admission requirements.  

Graduate/Professional Programs Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Student in Transfer Completion Programs 

Students seeking admission to an undergraduate completion program (Dental Hygiene, BS ; Health Studies, BS ; Teaching and English Language Learning, BEd ; Visual Science, BS ) should view each program’s admission requirements.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate Admission Requirements  

Undergraduate Placement Policies

Appropriate placement policies are established for Forest Grove undergraduates whose prerequisite work and exam scores may influence their math, language, or writing placements. Pacific communicates placement policies specific to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit in the catalog within Undergraduate Admission Requirements  . Students who may wish to continue study of a foreign language are informed about World Language placement testing, with details provided here. Math placement is overseen by the Math Department and based on each students’ ACT, SAT and/or high school work. That information and a flowchart outlining the logic of math sequences is provided in orientation processes and made available here.