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. One-fourth of the trustees must be members of a Free Methodist church but vote as independent individual board members, consistent with other board members and their fiduciary duty.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 in the San Juan Islands.
Enrollment
(Based on Autumn Quarter 2025)
Total enrollment: 2,101
Undergraduate enrollment: 1,657
Post-baccalaureate enrollment: 16
Graduate enrollment: 428
(Sept. 2024–Aug. 2025)
Continuing education enrollment: 747
Academic programs offered
Undergraduate majors: 37
Undergraduate minors: 44
Undergraduate concentrations: 55
Master’s degree programs: 13
Doctoral degree programs: 5
Graduate certificates: 17
Students
(Undergraduate through doctoral)
Average age of students
Undergraduate: 21
Post-baccalaureate: 34
Master’s: 33
Doctoral: 35
Student-faculty ratio
15:1 (Based on Common Data Set definition)
Undergraduate information
Class size
80% of Autumn Quarter 2025 classes had enrollments of 30 or less.
Denominations
Students represent 59 Christian faith traditions and denominations.
Ethnic diversity
53% (undergraduate ethnic minority students)
Financial Aid
100% of students receive some type of financial aid.
First-generation students
43% of students are the first in their family to attend a university or college.
Gender
Men: 35%
Women: 65%
Retention rate
73% (based on first-year persistence)
States/Countries
Students come from 21 states and 18 countries.
Top 10 undergraduate programs
(By number of students enrolled Autumn Quarter and accepted into a major)
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Honors
- Business Administration
- Computer Science
- Physiology
- Mechanical Engineering
- Exercise Science
- Biology
- Apparel Design
More information
For more information and facts about Seattle Pacific University, you can visit these sites:
Updated Nov. 3, 2025