About Azusa Pacific University

Founded in 1899, Azusa Pacific University. is a Private college. Located in California, which is a city setting in California, the campus itself is Suburban. The campus is home to 5,770 full time undergraduate students, and 4,250 full time graduate students.

The Azusa Pacific University Academic calendar runs on a Semester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 12:1. There are 482 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at Azusa Pacific University include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.

Quick Facts

Acceptance Rate61%
Application Deadline
Application Fee45
SAT Range900-1130
ACT Range20-26

Admissions at APU are considered Selective, with ,83% of all applicants being admitted.

In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 14 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.

88% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 60% were in the top quarter, and 30% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.

STUDENT LIFE Reviews

We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at Azusa Pacific University.

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  • How would you rate on-campus housing?

    190 Students rated on-campus housing 4 stars. 27 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate off-campus housing?

    123 Students rated off-campus housing 3.7 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus food?

    194 Students rated campus food 3.4 stars. 13 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus facilities?

    200 Students rated campus facilities 4.4 stars. 50 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate class size?

    202 Students rated class size 4.7 stars. 75 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate school activities?

    201 Students rated school activities 4.1 stars. 41 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate local services?

    202 Students rated local services 4.4 stars. 52 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate academics?

    203 Students rated academics 4.1 stars. 43 % gave the school a 5.0.

Azusa Pacific University REVIEWS

What's your overall opinion of Azusa Pacific University?

100 Students rated Azusa Pacific University

Jennifer - 09/19/2024

APU is a small Christian university that has gone through several changes. This includes a restructure in the amount of colleges available, and where these majors now fall under due to the college restructure. Since the football team was cut in 2021 (assuming due to the pandemic's budget cuts), campus life has become somewhat nonexistent. There are other sports that have gained significant popularity , including soccer and basketball. Programs with a good reputation include the SBM, Social Work, Psychology, Animation, the Honors College, and nursing. What makes APU special is that it has a Christ-centered foundation where students learn about Christ in all classrooms, regardless of their major.

Joshua - 12/01/2023

The staff at azusa pacific university are friendly and welcoming. The class sizes aren't overcrowded and the professors are always available for feedback. The campus is very big on respect, inclusion and making students feel at home. It is very close to stores, groceries, entertainment and restaurants within walking didstance. There are many groups available to join and the security here keeps us well informed and makes the campus feel like a safe environment. Overall this is a great campus to attend.

Magnolia - 01/25/2023

My experience at Azusa Pacific has been decidedly mixed. It is difficult to judge any organization as a whole being that every organization is made up of individuals, and the variation within individuals will never cease to amaze me. Within a single day, I may encounter a professor that makes my anxiety and OCD shoot through the roof and sends me into a dissociative state, and then an hour and a half later I am in a class with another one that makes me feel safer and more understood than I ever expected. I exist in the Theater Arts department; specifically I’m getting a degree in Acting for the Stage and Screen, which requires a good amount of emotional as well as physical vulnerability. When a school takes on the intimidating task of creating a BFA program for this kind of learning, it is important to find department members that understand the innate delicate quality of this kind of degree, being that it can easily trigger emotional and psychological damage for any actor. The department has to be built with people that will understand the careful balance of teaching students how to protect themselves emotionally while still tackling authentic, true, and at times terrifying topics so that storytelling can be authentic. Azusa Pacific University has done this better than I ever expected, but that does not mean there aren’t things that could be improved. For example, Kirsten Humer, the director of the BFA program, is one of the most intentionally compassionate and understanding persons I have ever met. She is constantly deliberate about explaining that if anything in a class ever begins to hurt, emotionally or physically, we have every right to back out. For example, I was once performing a poem in a voice class, and she was adjusting my neck to help my vocal chords perform better, but she noticed I was getting nervous and asked if she needed to step away. Even I myself couldn’t tell what was bothering me, but she said, “I think I’m getting too up in your grill,” and stepped away to make sure that I felt safe in the situation. Kirsten Humer is one of the best people that could be involved in a program like this, and she’s inspired me to try and emulate her respect for the personal boundaries everyone should be afforded. On the other end of the spectrum, however, is the chair of the department; Jill Lincoln. Never was there a more aggressive personality. She finds it necessary to yell in every class to get her point across, as well as force her husband’s scriptwriting on the students in her program. She had her husband write a script for a small web-series that the school produced with its BFA, and one of the scenes was simply two people meeting for a date, making out instantly, and then following this up entirely with sexual innuendo. If it had been cleverly written, I would have had no problem performing it. However, it had been written as if a thirteen year old boy had gotten ahold of his father’s computer. In another case, Jill had her husband write monologues for the seniors, and the girls refused to perform the monologues due to their oversexed nature. Jill also has threatened to kill herself over the poor performance of a show, and is constantly complaining about the burden of being the chair of the program. In conclusion, I am happy to be attending Azusa Pacific University because of its choice to hire people like Kirsten Humer, and I think it would be wise of the school to replace Jill Lincoln with someone more respectful of the students.

Gabriela - 10/18/2022

This college is fantastic. Class sizes are small and the dorms are amazing . I love this campus more then any others I visited.

Azusa Pacific University FAQS

  1. What is the Acceptance Rate at Azusa Pacific University?

    The fall 2020 acceptance rate for Azusa Pacific University is 61%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.

  2. What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

    Although I am not currently a college student, yet, If I could go back and improve some things my senior year I would have studied twice as much and twice as hard. I would Have been much more responsible. I would have chosen my "friends" wisely. I would have made my education my priority in life. I would have followed in my own path without the influence of other poeples plans to fit my own. I would have applied to more than 1 school. I would have volunteered and been a part of more community service. I would have taken my actions much more seriously and always had school work ahead on every aspect of my life. I would have been more physically active. I would not have put others before myself. I would have tried to better communicate with my parents. I would have taken graduation much more seriously. Instead of being reserved I would have tried to stand out in a positive way. Lastly if I could go back in time I would, but I can't. And that is why I want to make the best of my college experience.

    Read all 170 answers

  3. Describe the students at your school.

    Friendly, Christians.

    Read all 45 answers

  4. Describe how your school looks to someone who's never seen it.

    My school was a positive, private Christian University that fully supported their students in the personal, spiritual, and educational growth through their student community, staff, professors and administrators that put God FIRST and led by example.

    Read all 37 answers

  5. What's unique about your campus?

    The best thing about my school is the diversity. Everywhere you look it is obvious there is a mixture of cultures and it is awesome. Being able to experience so many ethnicities in a small area is wonderful. Also, because APU is a faith-based school we attend chapel which I find absolutely amazing. I love being able to grow in my relationship with Christ while going to school.

    Read all 34 answers

  6. What kind of person should attend this school?

    The type of person seeking a prestigious school, with an emphasis on spiritual growth. They are committed to expanding your ideals on faith, and on faith based issues. They are seeking the type of students who want a community based on biblical faith as well as a campus with moral/biblical values. The University wants you to be excited and welcoming to their mission based purpose and they want you to feel at home in the community.

    Read all 34 answers

  7. What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

    I'm not sure there is anything that I would have liked to have known before coming to APU. I think that I was in a good place in my life and I was ready to be molded and because of that I have learned so much during my time in college.

    Read all 32 answers

  8. Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

    APU's Christian environment appeals to be because of being a part of a community of believers that are growing in their walk with God, and want to answer God's call to there life along with receiving the educational tools necessary to fulfill there calling. I believe that APU is a place that I can be disciple by God?s word and be educated by a faith-based curriculum. Being one of the larger christian school Azusa Pacif University appeals to me not only for its diverse enviroment but also for the community outreach opportunities that are availble.

    Read all 28 answers

  9. What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about your school?

    The teachers here are, for the most part, exceptionally genuine. They care about the success of their students more than teachers I've taken at other colleges and they will do everything they can to help their students achieve good grades. It's hard to find people like that these days; people who are just as concerned about how well they're teaching as they are about just making the money to survive. In this small way, Azusa Pacific University has made a wonderful name for itself.

    Read all 25 answers

  10. What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

    I would consider the worst thing about my school to simply be the expenses. The reason for this that it gets very hard to fully reach potential with some of the expenses that are at hand. For instance, one book may be over $200 and so often times, one wants to share books with another person ornot buy the book and this hinders the academic ability to do as well as possible. This also goes for meal plans and parking permits. People are disuaded from purchasing these things that they need due to the cost of it.

    Read all 23 answers

  11. What kind of person should not attend this school?

    Some who doesn't not believe in God because it is a God first school.

    Read all 23 answers

  12. Describe your favorite campus traditions.

    Azusa Pacific University is a leading Christian college well-known for excellence in higher education among top Christian colleges and universities with low student-to-faculty ratio. Their school has extended their science center with new classrooms and up to date technology.

    Read all 18 answers

  13. What's the most frustrating thing about your school?

    Our campus is split in two, so it takes longer to get to class and we have to take a shuttle between the two campuses. There is becoming less and less housing available as the school grows in size.

    Read all 18 answers

  14. What is your overall opinion of this school?

    I believe that Azusa Pacific University is a special university that attracts a special type of person. A person that is talented and goal oriented; yet, still is able to maintain a healthy diet of social activity. The school has a great balance of fresh faces and faithful friends. When I proudly say I go to Azusa Pacific University and play soccer for their program, I am met with either a joke about our acronym (APU) or I am met with a respectful response for what the university is doing and for the people it turns out. When, I am not studying, playing soccer, or working, I enjoy spending time in the coffee shop meeting new people and making conversation. In conclusion, I would say that APU is a school heading in the right direction.

    Read all 17 answers

  15. What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

    Azusa Pacific University has a very diverse community with students from all cultures and backgrounds. We pride ourselves in ensuring our school has its own diverse culture, however, at any school, there will be groups that are formed around similar interests and images that are associated with this university. Fortunately, the stereotypes that arise from APU are ones that I want to be associated with. For example, my mentor of three years whom I respect and love dearly attended Azusa Pacific, and the more I researched, the more I found that the majority of people that enroll are those just like my mentor: a strong passion for something they love, respectful of others, intelligent and highly informed of global issues, and the list goes on and on. I am thankful to be a part of something that actually has a great stereotype attached to it.

    Read all 15 answers

  16. What are the academics like at your school?

    Academics are really intimate and personal. Class sizes are really small-the largest class I have had is 50 people. Most of the professors know your name, care about you and want to get to know you. They also sometimes pray before class and ask for prayer requests. Since classes are smaller, class participation is a huge part of the academics. This is what I think is the best part. Some of my favorite classes are where we have the most interesting or intense discussions. APU's academics may not be as rigorous as some more prestigious universities, but there are definitely some challenging classes/majors.They really make you think and question why you believe what you believe.

    Read all 14 answers

  17. What are the most popular student activities/groups?

    Im not involved in anything except the classes I take so can't really share much.

    Read all 10 answers

  18. Tell us about the food and dining options.

    APU's dining options are always evolving. Three new eating places have evolved in my one semester I studied abroad. On east campus, there is a coffee shop, a Texan barbecue, a Mexicali grill, a buffet-style cafeteria, a burger, sandwich, and pizza place, and a small, snack-y convenience store. On west, there is an eating place similar to the burger, sandwich, and pizza place on east, a coffee shop, a sub place, and a sushi place. I typically go to the Den (burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and other specialty items), because there is a variety to choose from. I also spend a lot of time at the coffee shops, because they sell coffee beverages, bagels, muffins, and packaged foods like pre-made sandwiches. The food is a pretty satisfying quality, and seems to be improving each year.

    Read all 3 answers

  19. Tell us about the sports scene on campus.

    I am not very involved in the sports scene, but some of the most popular games to go to are the football games and the basketball games. Boys' soccer is also common to go watch in the fall. Intramural sports are very popular on campus. Such examples are soccer, basketball, and flag football. Unlike a lot of schools, sports are not at the center of campus life. A lot of people go to support the teams, and the events are fun, but many people find stock in other events.

    Read all 3 answers

  20. Why did you decide to go to this school?

    It had the major I wanted, great community, a marching band which I wanted to be a part of, and overall a terrific atmosphere.

    Read all 3 answers

  21. What is the stereotype of students at your school?

    A common stereotype of APU, and I feel any Christian school, is that everyone is a goody-two-shoe, perfect Christian, who only wants to major in Bible and work in missions their entire lives. But I have met a wide array of people who go here, with many different passions. APU has all extremes of people, just like a large public school. We just have a smaller amount of people.

    Read all 3 answers

Student Body

Students

66%

female

34%

male

5,770

Total Undergrad Enrollment

4,250

Total Grad Students

20%

Out-Of-State

78%

In-State

2%

International

Organizations

32

Student Organizations

N/A

Fraternities

N/A

Sororities

Housing

Yes

On-Campus Housing

31%

of students living on campus

Student Diversity

% American Indian/Alaskan Native
N/A
% Asian/Pacific Islander
9%
% Black or African-American
5%
% Hispanic/Latino
31%
% White or Caucasian
41%

TUITION & AID

All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA. Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.

98% of students attending Azusa Pacific University receive some sort of financial aid. 30% were awarded federal grants. While 62% received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.

Cost Out of State

$36,120

Tuition and fees(Out of state)

$1,792

Books and Supplies

$9,492

Room and Board

47,404

Total On Campus

Actual Cost By Income Level(W/Financial Aid)

Family Income
Cost
$0 - $30K
$22,258
$30 - $48K
$22,699
$48 - $75K
$25,432
$75 - $110K
$27,897
$110K & UP
$33,236

We use student reviews and the most current publicly available data on our school pages. As such, we don't typically remove or edit college information. Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Portions of college data include copyrighted material, which is reproduced on this website by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Carnegie Communications. © 2009-2016 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.

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