University of the Pacific is California's oldest chartered university (founded 1851) and a private, mid-sized institution with three distinct campuses: a 175-acre, leafy ivy-covered residential undergraduate campus in Stockton, a graduate-professional campus in San Francisco (home to the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry), and the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. Pacific is the only US university with a tier-one health-sciences professional pipeline (Pharmacy, Dentistry, Physical Therapy, Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology) co-located with a small, residential, liberal-arts undergraduate experience — and it is one of the very few universities to offer accelerated direct-entry pathways from undergrad into Pharmacy (2+3 PharmD) and Dentistry (3+3 DDS) at the same institution. The Stockton undergraduate experience is unusually intimate for a research university: the 13:1 student-faculty ratio, sub-4,000 undergraduate population, and walkable Gothic-Tudor campus produce a residential, mentor-driven culture more often associated with small liberal-arts colleges. The Conservatory of Music (founded 1878) is the oldest music conservatory west of the Mississippi. The Eberhardt School of Business runs a top-ranked Cooperative Education program — every business undergraduate is guaranteed at least one paid co-op placement before graduation. Engineering students participate in a similar mandatory co-op model (5-year B.S. with three semesters of paid industry work), one of only a handful in the western US. For international students, Pacific offers a distinctive combination: automatic merit consideration on every admitted application (no separate scholarship form, awards $10,000-$30,000/year for first-years and up to $43,000 for the competitive Powell Scholarship), a test-optional admissions policy, dedicated International Programs and Services support, and direct admit pathways into accelerated PharmD, DDS, and Speech-Language Pathology — programs that are often impossible to enter directly at other US universities. Stockton is in California's Central Valley about 80 miles east of San Francisco and 45 miles south of Sacramento, with low cost-of-living relative to Bay Area peers.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Pacific's founding college and largest undergraduate unit. Houses the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and pre-professional pathways including Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Dental, Pre-Med, and Pre-PT. Strong feeder to Pacific's accelerated professional programs.
Home to Pacific's signature 3-year accelerated PharmD — one of only a handful of accelerated PharmDs in the United States. Also offers the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP), Audiology (AuD), and Pre-Pharmacy / Pre-Health Sciences undergraduate pathways with direct admission to graduate programs for qualified students.
AACSB-accredited. Distinguished by guaranteed paid Cooperative Education (Co-op) placement for every undergraduate before graduation. Strong in finance, accounting, marketing, business analytics, and entrepreneurship. Leverages proximity to the Bay Area for internship placement.
Mandatory Cooperative Education — every engineering undergraduate completes three full-time paid semesters of industry work over a 5-year program. ABET-accredited in Bioengineering, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Engineering Management, and Mechanical Engineering. Computer Science also STEM-designated.
Founded 1878 — the oldest music conservatory west of the Mississippi. Audition-based BM and BA programs in performance, composition, music education, music industry studies, and music therapy. Notable alumni include Dave Brubeck (jazz) and members of major US symphony orchestras.
Teacher credential and education programs, plus undergraduate Liberal Studies (multiple-subject teaching pathway). California teaching credential programs.
3 years
Pacific's flagship program — one of the few accelerated PharmDs in the United States. Year-round (3-trimester) curriculum compresses the traditional 4-year PharmD into 3 calendar years. Accelerated 2+3 pathway available for high-achieving high school applicants — direct admission from freshman year. Strong placement into California pharmacy roles and PharmD residencies.
5 years
Every engineering undergrad completes three full-time paid Cooperative Education semesters with industry partners — typically with major Bay Area, Sacramento, or Central Valley employers. Average co-op pay is competitive ($25-35/hr), and students graduate with 12-18 months of paid full-time engineering work experience on their resume. ABET-accredited.
4 years
AACSB-accredited business undergrad with guaranteed paid Cooperative Education placement before graduation. Concentrations include Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Business Analytics, and Management Information Systems. Business Analytics is STEM-designated.
3 years
One of only two 3-year DDS programs in the United States. Year-round curriculum on Pacific's San Francisco campus. Direct-entry 3+3 pathway available — qualified Pacific undergraduates apply during their third year and complete DDS in 3 additional years for a 6-year B.S./DDS combined.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $57,080
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
