Azusa Pacific University Acceptance Rate: 88.4% in Fall 2024, With Applications Down 65%

The Azusa Pacific University acceptance rate was 88.4% for Fall 2024: 3,010 of 3,404 first-year applicants were admitted, according to federal IPEDS data. That number reflects falling demand, not a lower bar: freshman applications fell 65.4% from Fall 2018 (9,832), while five Christian peers in Southern and Central California combined held steady at +1.2%. About 60% of the drop in enrolled freshmen had already happened by Fall 2019, before COVID and before test-optional admission.

Azusa Pacific University (APU) is an evangelical Christian university in Azusa and one of the private colleges in California. The Fall 2025 rate is not published yet; minimums, tests and Fall 2027 dates are in the table below. Every application includes a signed Statement of Agreement with Institutional Policy, and nursing has its own, earlier deadline.

Azusa Pacific at a Glance

The APU acceptance rate, minimums and Fall 2027 dates in one table:

Source: NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024, 2023-24, 2024-25); apu.edu undergraduate admissions and BSN pages (accessed Oct 2026).

Azusa Pacific University Acceptance Rate by Year, Fall 2014–2024

Here are APU’s first-year admission numbers from IPEDS for every fall from 2014 to 2024, with yield calculated by CalChannel.

Source: IPEDS admissions data via Urban Institute Education Data API (Fall 2014–2024, read Oct 17, 2026); APU Common Data Set 2016-17 (Fall 2016 note); APU fact sheet (Fall 2025 note). Yield calculated by CalChannel.

The Azusa Pacific University acceptance rate sat between 60.1% and 68.5% from Fall 2016 to Fall 2019, then ranged from 79.5% to 94.1% from Fall 2020 to Fall 2024. From Fall 2018 to Fall 2024, admits fell 55.3% and enrolled freshmen fell 63.0%, from 1,114 to 412. You can check the latest year in NCES College Navigator.

Yield, the share of admitted students who enroll, dropped from 24.6% in Fall 2014 to 13.7% in Fall 2024. Put another way, APU admitted 4.07 students for every freshman who enrolled in Fall 2014, and 7.31 in Fall 2024.

One row needs a caution. For Fall 2016, APU’s own Common Data Set 2016-17 reports 6,605 applicants and 5,517 admits (83.5%), while the two sources’ applicant and admit counts match or differ by 1 to 3 in the other years from 2014 to 2020. So the 61.5% for Fall 2016 is not a solid base for conclusions.

Fall 2017 enrolled freshmen also differ: 1,005 in IPEDS, 1,108 in the CDS, so that year’s yield is uncertain too.

Fall 2025 is not in IPEDS yet. APU’s fact sheet lists 3,911 applicants and 399 full-time entering students for the Class of 2029, but no admit count, so no Fall 2025 rate can be calculated.

Why 88% Does Not Mean APU Got Easier

The decline started early. From Fall 2018 to Fall 2019, applications fell 16.7% and enrolled freshmen fell 37.9% (422 students), which is 60.1% of the whole Fall 2018 to 2024 enrollment loss. APU’s Common Data Set for that cycle still listed SAT or ACT scores as required.

The next year moved the rate. From Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, applications fell another 44.7% while admits fell 23.2%, and the rate jumped to 93.6%.

But here’s the thing. APU’s own demand fell while its peers held steady, as the comparison below shows.

Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute Education Data API, first-year applications, Fall 2018 and Fall 2024.

Every peer changed by less than APU did, and California Baptist grew. APU has not published an explanation for the drop in applications, so the numbers show what happened, not why.

How These Figures Were Compiled

CalChannel pulled the IPEDS admissions-enrollment data for each year from the Urban Institute Education Data API (unitid 109785, total row) on October 17, 2026. Each year was then compared with section C1 of APU’s Common Data Set, which is available for 2013-14 through 2020-21. Rate means admitted divided by applied, and yield means enrolled divided by admitted; both were calculated by CalChannel.

The five peers (Biola, California Baptist, Point Loma Nazarene, Vanguard and Westmont) come from the same API. IPEDS had not released Fall 2025 data on the day the figures were read.

Why Do Sites Show 87%, 88% or 88.42%?

Almost every Azusa Pacific acceptance rate you see online is the same Fall 2024 IPEDS figure, 3,010 divided by 3,404, rounded differently. Most of those sites don’t say which year the number belongs to.

The 87% shown by one college-data site comes with no source, but it matches the Fall 2022 federal figure. Another site counts 3,376 applicants, which adds only the men’s and women’s rows (1,196 plus 2,180). The total of 3,404 also includes 28 applicants not reported in those rows.

By sex, the Fall 2024 rate was 91.3% for men and 86.8% for women. College Navigator rounds these to 91% and 87%.

Source: NCES College Navigator and IPEDS via Urban Institute API (Fall 2022 and Fall 2024).

Azusa Pacific University GPA Requirements and Test Scores

You need at least a 3.0 high school GPA for regular admission, but APU’s 2026-27 incoming freshman class averaged a 3.84 GPA. Students with a 2.5 to 2.99 can be considered for conditional admission, which the catalog calls provisional or developmental status. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission, per APU’s 2026-27 catalog.

The Azusa Pacific University GPA averages come from APU’s undergraduate admissions page, which says: “These averages represent the incoming class for the 2026-27 school year.” Transfer students need at least a 2.2 in previous college work, and the average admitted transfer GPA is 3.51.

Older Common Data Set files give a longer view. The average high school GPA of enrolled freshmen ranged from 3.64 to 3.76 between Fall 2013 and Fall 2020.

Source: apu.edu undergraduate admissions (2026-27 averages); NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024 test data); APU Common Data Set 2013-14 to 2020-21.

Does APU Require the SAT or ACT?

No. On APU’s freshman admissions page, the ACT, SAT and CLT are listed with one line: “These tests are not required for admission.” For students who do test, the catalog recommends taking the ACT or SAT by October of senior year.

Few enrolled students send scores now. In Fall 2024, 12 enrolled freshmen (3%) submitted SAT scores and 7 (2%) submitted ACT scores, with middle ranges of 515–615 in EBRW, 468–623 in Math and 25–30 on the ACT, per College Navigator.

That’s a big shift. In the Common Data Set from 2013-14 to 2019-20, 77% to 90% of enrolled freshmen submitted the SAT, and the share fell to 63% for Fall 2020. The CDS listed SAT or ACT scores as required through Fall 2021, then switched to “Consider if Submitted” for Fall 2022 in the 2020-21 edition.

SAT ranges on college-data sites disagree with each other.

So what does that actually mean for you? The test is optional for general admission, and any published range describes a very small group of students. For the nursing program and the guaranteed admission route, though, a score is one option or a condition, as the sections below explain.

Azusa Pacific University Nursing Acceptance Rate: What APU Publishes

There is no APU nursing acceptance rate to quote, because APU does not publish an acceptance rate or a seat count for its BSN program. CalChannel checked the BSN, BSN-transfer and nursing pages on October 17, 2026. APU’s BSN program page says: “Admission to the university does not guarantee admission into the School of Nursing.”

The review runs in two steps. Admissions screens the application first, then the School of Nursing Admissions Committee decides. Students who are not admitted to the BSN can still be admitted to APU.

Freshman nursing applicants face a November 15 deadline, and “Determinations will be made by March 1.” The minimum cumulative GPA for the BSN is 3.5, higher than the general minimum covered above.

Source: APU School of Nursing BSN and BSN-transfer pages (accessed Oct 2026).

Beyond the GPA, the BSN page lists these courses and materials:

• One year each of chemistry and biology, with a B or better
• Two years of algebra or geometry, plus one math proof: SAT math 540+ or ACT math 23+, an A- or higher in precalculus, a B or higher in calculus, or a passing ALEKS score
• A professional recommendation from an employer or community leader
• A one-page goals statement
• A résumé

So test scores are one way to show math readiness, not a requirement. Students choose a fall cohort (4½ years) or a spring cohort (4 years), and admitted students pay a $500 deposit by April 10.

Transfer students have a separate 2+2 BSN route. It asks for 48 prerequisite units and a 3.0 GPA, with deadlines of October 1 (spring), February 1 (summer) and June 1 (fall).

APU Nursing Outcomes: NCLEX-RN Pass Rates

Admission odds aren’t public, but licensing results are. The California Board of Registered Nursing publishes first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for every prelicensure program, in years running July 1 to June 30.

Source: California Board of Registered Nursing, NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates (Jul–Jun years); all-program average calculated by CalChannel.

Over these five years, 2,450 APU graduates took the exam for the first time and about 82.3% passed. APU had the second-largest number of first-time takers in California each year, and its pass rate was below the all-program average in every year shown. APU’s BSN page cites the same 2024-25 result.

The all-program column is CalChannel’s weighted average of every program in the BRN table (ADN, BSN and ELM). It is not a BRN statistic.

For scale, IPEDS completions for 2024-25 show 495 bachelor’s degrees in registered nursing out of 1,195 APU bachelor’s degrees (41.4%). That count covers all tracks and locations, so it is not the size of the freshman BSN cohort.

Azusa Pacific University Requirements: How to Apply

APU’s admissions site says “Spring 2027 and Fall 2027 Applications Are Now Open.” The steps, dates and partnership rules below come from apu.edu and the 2026-27 catalog.

Application Checklist

You can apply through either the APU Application Portal or the Common App. If you use the second, APU’s Common App profile is the place to start.

1. Application, through the APU Application Portal or the Common App
2. Official high school transcripts (and transcripts from any college you’ve attended)
3. Statement of Agreement with Institutional Policy (see the next section)
4. Personal Statement
5. Optional character recommendation (details in the next section)
6. SAT, ACT or CLT scores, optional (see the test section above)

APU lists the core materials as “Application, Statement of Agreement with Institutional Policy, and Personal Statement,” and asks applicants to have official transcripts sent from their high school. The Common App profile says “No personal essay required” and “No letter of recommendation required,” but apu.edu requires a Personal Statement, so follow apu.edu. The Admissions Committee may also request a personal interview.

For high school preparation, APU recommends four years of English, math including first- and second-year algebra and geometry, two years of science with a lab, two years of a foreign language, and U.S. history or government. Several School of the Arts majors also require additional materials.

Azusa Pacific University Application Deadlines, Spring and Fall 2027

Source: apu.edu undergraduate admissions and APU 2026-27 catalog (accessed Oct 2026); NCES College Navigator (2024-25 fee).

Regular Decision applicants hear back by April. APU mentions Early Action (“Prospective freshman students may apply for early action”) but publishes no Early Action date for Fall 2027 and does not say whether it is binding. Early Decision is not mentioned in any APU source.

The $45 fee comes from College Navigator for 2024-25, and the BSN-transfer page also lists a “$45 nonrefundable application fee.” Neither the apu.edu freshman pages nor the Common App profile state the fee, so it is not confirmed for Fall 2027.

Guaranteed Admission Partnerships

APU offers guaranteed admission only to students from listed partners: 28 school districts (for example Arcadia, Azusa, Corona-Norco, Pasadena and Riverside) and 26 private schools, though the page text says “over 25.” To qualify, a student must:

• Meet APU’s standard admission requirements
• Complete the A-G courses with a “grade of C or higher”
• Have a “minimum cumulative 10-12th grade weighted grade point average of 3.0”
• Have a “minimum SAT score of 990 or an ACT composite of 19”

This is the only APU route where an SAT or ACT score is a condition. The page also describes institutional aid for these students.

Is Azusa Pacific University a Christian School?

Yes. APU describes itself as “an evangelical, Christian community of disciples and scholars.” The Azusa Pacific University religious requirements come down to a signed agreement, a preferred type of recommender and a review of church involvement, all from APU’s own pages.

APU’s partnership page adds that admitted students must “demonstrate support for the standards and spirit of the university.” Here is what the application asks for:

• A signed Statement of Agreement with Institutional Policy; APU does not publish its text on the admissions pages, and the old application-packet PDF returns a 404 error
• A Personal Statement; no separate faith essay or “Christian commitment statement” appears on apu.edu or in the catalog
• An optional character recommendation: “When possible, APU prefers pastors or youth pastors/leaders.”
• A review of “involvement in church, school, and community activities,” per the catalog

APU’s 2026-27 catalog also lists who cannot write that recommendation: relatives, friends, peers and purely academic recommenders. A coach, employer or adult family friend is acceptable.

Here’s where it gets interesting. In every Common Data Set from 2013-14 to 2019-20, APU rated religious affiliation or commitment as “Important,” but the 2020-21 edition lists it as “Not Considered.” The same edition moved the essay from Very Important to Important and character from Very Important to Considered, while academic GPA and test scores stayed Very Important.

Source: APU Common Data Set 2019-20 and 2020-21, section C7 (apu.edu/oir/commondata).

APU has published no newer CDS: 2020-21 is the latest, and the 2021-22 to 2025-26 files returned 404 errors when checked on October 17, 2026. APU has not explained the C7 change. Both facts stand side by side: the 2020-21 CDS says Not Considered, and the current application still requires the signed Statement.

Enrollment and Graduation

APU enrolled 6,272 students in Fall 2024, including 2,759 undergraduates, according to College Navigator. APU’s fact sheet gives 5,901 total students but no census date.

Source: NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024); IPEDS graduation rates via Urban Institute API (Fall 2014–2018 cohorts); APU fact sheet.

College Navigator rounds the Fall 2018 cohort rate to 62%. The 70% is a different measure: bachelor’s degrees within 8 years for all first-time full-time students who entered in 2016-17.

A 72% graduation rate appears on some college-data sites, but CalChannel did not find it in primary sources. The closest figure is 71.5%, for the Fall 2015 cohort.

Should Azusa Pacific Be on Your List?

The Azusa Pacific University acceptance rate is the highest of these six California Christian colleges for Fall 2024, with California Baptist and Point Loma Nazarene closest behind. APU also enrolled fewer first-year students than every school here except Westmont.

Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute Education Data API, first-year admissions, Fall 2024. CalChannel’s Biola page uses the CDS 2024-25 rate (74.8%).

Which section matters most depends on your situation:

• GPA near the minimum and no test scores: general admission, covered in the GPA section
• Planning to become a nurse: a separate BSN review with its own deadline
• From a partner district or school: the guaranteed admission route
• Weighing the Statement of Agreement: read APU’s institutional policies before applying

Our take: 88.4% reflects fewer applicants, not a lower bar. Meet the published minimums, apply by the priority date and treat nursing as a separate, harder door. Nursing outcomes, which sit below the state average in the BRN table, are worth weighing too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Azusa Pacific University a good school?

That depends on what you want from college. APU is accredited by WSCUC, and College Navigator lists it as “Accredited since (02/28/1961)” with the next review set for “06/28/2030.” The graduation section above shows how many students finish, and the nursing section shows how BSN graduates do on the licensing exam. Those outcomes are a fair starting point to weigh against your own goals.

What is the Azusa Pacific University acceptance rate 2025?

There is no official Fall 2025 rate yet. APU’s fact sheet lists 3,911 Fall 2025 applicants, about 15% more than the 3,404 IPEDS counted for Fall 2024, but it gives no admit count, so a rate can’t be calculated. As of October 2026, IPEDS and College Navigator still show Fall 2024 as the latest year. Any site labeling the Fall 2024 figure as a 2025 rate is mixing up the cycles.

Is Azusa Pacific hard to get into?

Most applicants are admitted, as the year-by-year table above shows. Still, APU’s 2026-27 incoming freshman class averaged a 3.84 GPA, well above the published minimum. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission, and the Statement of Agreement and Personal Statement are part of every application. Nursing is a separate and harder review, with its own deadline and GPA bar.

What denomination is Azusa Pacific?

APU describes itself as evangelical Christian. The pages CalChannel checked, including the admissions pages and the catalog, name no single denomination. For the faith-related parts of the application, see the Christian school section above. If a specific denomination matters to you, the admissions office is the place to ask.

Does Azusa Pacific accept the Common App?

Yes. APU’s freshman page says you can apply through either the APU Application Portal or the Common App. One college-data site says APU does not accept the Common App, which conflicts with apu.edu. The Common App profile lists no essay requirement, but APU requires a Personal Statement, so plan to write one either way.

Is Azusa Pacific Division 1, 2 or 3?

APU is moving toward NCAA Division III. In February 2026, APU Athletics announced that APU “will formally enter the NCAA Division III reclassification process on September 1, 2026.” The announcement does not give a year for full Division III membership. For APU’s status in a given season, check athletics.apu.edu.

Sources

1. NCES College Navigator: Azusa Pacific University (Fall 2024, 2024-25)
2. Urban Institute Education Data Portal: IPEDS admissions-enrollment (Fall 2014–2024, read Oct 17, 2026)
3. Azusa Pacific University: Undergraduate Admissions, Freshman
4. Azusa Pacific University, Office of Institutional Research: Common Data Set (2013-14 to 2020-21)
5. Azusa Pacific University: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
6. California Board of Registered Nursing: NCLEX Pass Rates