| Location: | Southwest |
| Setting: | Large City Setting |
| Type: | Private |
| Affiliation: | Church of the Nazarene |
| Size: | Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad) |
| Nickname: | PLNU |
Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private, evangelical Christian liberal arts college located in San Diego, California, on the Point Loma oceanfront. PLNU has five different locations besides the undergraduate campus in Point Loma, with graduate programs at regional centers in Arcadia, Bakersfield, Inland Empire and Mission Valley San Diego.
The college was founded by several female laypersons in the Church of the Nazarene with the assistance of Phineas F. Bresee, co-founder of the Nazarene Church in Los Angeles. The "initiators," in the words of historian Timothy L. Smith, convinced “a reluctant Bresee to support the venture." Their desire to recruit Bresee as their patron was understandable. He had chaired the committee that recommended Simpson College become a four–year college, raised the money for buildings there like College Hall, now "the college’s primary historic landmark," and served on the their board of trustees for 16 years, part of that time as board president. In Los Angeles, he was a trustee for the University of Southern California and worked with J. P. Widney to save the College of Liberal Arts there.
The institution envisioned was "a simple Bible college" to train ministerial and lay leadership for the newly established Nazarene denomination, but a bible college did not fit Bresee's notion of a real Christian school and he "promised little or no assistance." The women went ahead with their plan, with money raised from their husbands, and Pacific Bible College opened in 1902 under Principal Mary Hill. Hill left for missionary work in China the next year, and left the school under Leora Maris' leadership.
In 1906, Bresee's interest in the college was piqued with a large donation from Jackson Deets. Bresee now saw the possibility for a real liberal arts college in the newly renamed Deets Pacific Bible College. Bresee and Deets were soon planning Nazarene University together: academy, liberal arts college, and bible school.
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 54% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NAIA |
| Sports Include: |
Basketball (Golden State Athletic Conference) Baseball (Golden State Athletic Conference) Track (Golden State Athletic Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 20,200 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 530 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,392 | 12% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 9,545 | 12% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 5,089 | 49% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,440 | 36% | |
Any Aid: |
53% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 65% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 94% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 520, Math: 520 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 630, Math: 640 |
| Application Fee: | $ 50.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |