Is Pacific Lutheran University worth it? What it costs, and what graduates earn
You would borrow a median $22,578 — about $257 a month for ten years. Graduates earn a median
$66,990 ten years after starting, so the debt clears in roughly
0.8 years of the salary premium.
B
Is it worth the money?
Yes — you clear the borrowing faster than at most US universities.
You borrow$22,578median federal debt at graduation
You repay$257/mostandard 10-year federal plan
You earn$66,990median, 10 years after entry · beats 76%
Debt clears in0.8 yrsranked 217 of 795
What that feels like each month
Repayment against the salary that has to cover it.
Gross monthly pay
$5,583
Loan repayment
$257
Share of your pay
4.6%
0%15% — the comfort line25%
Under roughly 15% of gross pay, repayment is generally considered manageable alongside rent and living costs.
Cut the debt before you borrow it
We do not list an award tied specifically to Pacific Lutheran University yet — but national, country and subject
scholarships still apply to students heading there, and each one cuts the $22,578 above.
We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider listed here. It never changes the figures on
this page — the debt, salary and payback come from the US Department of Education, not from lenders.
How Pacific Lutheran University compares
Against the 795 US universities we grade on payback.
The typical graded university clears its debt in 1.3 years
on median earnings of $57,089 against
$22,500 of debt.
Pacific Lutheran University clears its debt faster than that, and its graduates earn $27,470 a year more than a US worker with only a high-school diploma.
How much do graduates of Pacific Lutheran University earn?
Median earnings are $66,990 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled — from tax records, not a survey. That is higher than 76% of the US universities we hold figures for.
How much debt will I have at Pacific Lutheran University?
The median graduate leaves with $22,578 of federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $257 a month — roughly 4.6% of the median graduate's monthly pay before tax.
How long does a degree from Pacific Lutheran University take to pay for itself?
About 0.8 years of the salary premium — the amount graduates earn above the $39,520 a US worker with only a high-school diploma makes. That ranks it 217 of 795 US universities we grade on payback.
Can scholarships reduce this debt?
We do not currently list a scholarship tied specifically to Pacific Lutheran University, but national and subject-based awards still apply — start from our scholarships listing.
Do these numbers apply to my subject?
No. The Department of Education publishes one figure per institution, so nursing, engineering and fine art students at Pacific Lutheran University all sit inside the same median. Treat it as the size of the financial risk, not a salary forecast for your course.
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard — earnings and debt cover students who received federal
financial aid and blend every subject taught at the institution. Figures imported
28 Aug 2026.
This page is information, not financial advice.