Seattle Pacific University is a fully accredited insitution of higher learning which offers degree programs in liberal arts, professional and graduate studies. The University was founded in 1891 to provide a place where young people could gain a comprehensive education rooted in the Christian faith. SPU serves more than 3,400 degree-seeking students per academic quarter, primarily at its Seattle campus, as well as 5,100 adult learners per academic quarter in continuing eduction centers across Washington state.

Academically, Seattle Pacific University offers 44 undergraduate majors and 36 minors. The University's curiculum is carried out through the College of Arts and Sciences, and three professional schools: Business and Economics, Education, and Health Sciences. Graduate studies include 11 master's degree programs and two doctoral programs, one in educational leadership, the other in clinical family psychology.

The University's physical plant includes a 35-acre main campus near the heart of downtown Seattle; a 965-acre wilderness campus on Blakely Island in the San Juan Islands; and the 150-acre Camp Casey on Whidbey Island.