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Admission Criteria

PLU welcomes applications from students who exhibit capacities for success at the university level. Admission to PLU is competitive. We look for students who:

• Demonstrate success in a challenging college preparatory curriculum
• Desire academic and personal challenges
• Communicate clearly
• Exhibit leadership and service in their community, church or school
• Will share unique or special talents

Each application is reviewed based on grade point average, class rank, transcript patterns, standardized test scores, personal essay, and an academic recommendation.

Applications for admission are evaluated without regard to race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disabling conditions, financial resources or any other status protected by law.

Test Optional Admission

Because standardized tests do not always accurately reflect academic ability or the potential to be academically successful, and because we practice a holistic review of admission applications, SAT or ACT test scores are no longer a required piece of the application for admission.

Exceptions:

• Homeschooled students are required to submit official ACT or SAT scores, unless they have earned 30 college-level transferable semester credits or 45 college-level transferable quarter credits.
• Students from schools with written evaluations rather than grades are required to submit their ACT or SAT scores.
• Students planning on applying for Nursing Conditional Admission are strongly encouraged to send in their scores.
• Students interested in teaching (including Education majors) may want to send in their scores, which can be used for the basic skills admission requirement by the state to get into a teacher program.
• International students are strongly encouraged to submit test scores if available.

How do I apply as test optional? The Common Application will ask if you wish to have your test scores considered as part of your application. If you select “no, I prefer to apply test optional”, you will be reviewed for admission and academic scholarship eligibility solely on all other application components.

If you feel your SAT or ACT scores are an accurate reflection of your academic ability, you are welcome to submit them as part of your application for admission. To have your scores sent directly to PLU from a testing agency, please use the following codes: SAT: 4597, ACT: 4470. You may also choose to self-report your test scores on your application and we will use those scores in the decision-making process.

Weighted GPA

When reviewing applications of prospective freshmen, PLU computes an “admission GPA” for the applicant. The admission GPA weights classes that are identified on the high school transcript as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Honors, or Accelerated. This weighted GPA will be used throughout the admission, financial aid, and scholarship process. If the applicant’s high school produces their own weighted GPA, the admission office will use the better of the two. The maximum GPA for PLU admission and financial aid purposes is 4.00.

Recommended Prep Courses

• Mathematics – Two years of college prep math
• Foreign Language – Two years of the same language*
• English – Four years
• Social Studies – Two years
• Laboratory Science – Two years

*If you have not completed the foreign language entrance requirement, but are admissible by all other criteria, you may still be offered admission. You will be required to complete the deficiencies during your first year at PLU.