Pacific University Reviews

  • 41 Reviews
  • Forest Grove (OR)
  • Annual Tuition: $52,072
67% of 41 students said this degree improved their career prospects
93% of 41 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Jeton Stevens
  • Reviewed: 3/4/2024
  • Degree: Social Work
"I wish I had accepted the offer to Portland State University over Pacific University. The classes we were taught were only vaguely social work related - many were designed to be busy work. A few professors entirely phoned in their performance (looking at you, Addictions as well as Grief and Loss). For a small program, it is impressive how inept faculty was at coordinating their lesson plans. Information between classes did not compliment each other, nor were many of the classes executed at graduate level standard. The current director wasted so many classes by teaching the same redundant information about research methodologies while being totally unequipped to answer questions in the classroom. The field supervisor has a bias toward practicums, and does not seriously consider complaints from students. After a poor experience with my practicum, the current field supervisor (as of 2024) only expressed skepticism over my situation. It was not until my internship agency had acted in poor conduct that the field supervisor had an idea of my situation. Regardless, do not expect support as much as punitive action against you if you're in a tight spot while attending Pacific. They have higher expectations for their students than their own faculty. Do not attend PU. For the love of god, save yourself $50,000 and go anywhere other than Pacific University."
Hannah Sloane-Barton
  • Reviewed: 2/23/2019
  • Degree: Clinical Psychology
"Whew boy. It's almost like this graduate program had to try hard to be as bad as it is. The professors pretend to like each other when they clearly don't, and feigning fake enthusiasm and professional expertise seems to be the name of the game. Check up on the backgrounds of professors: the ones with the biggest egos seem to have the least to back them up. The student body is generally accepting and apparently relatively naiive, because they won't critique the program or approach/behavior of any of the professors whatsoever. The administration allows bullying and poor quality academics and I've seen very little pushback and a whole lot of incompetence. Unless you've received a full scholarship, do yourself a professional and personal favor and don't go here."
jj
  • Reviewed: 12/2/2018
  • Degree: Occupational Therapy
"Unfortunately this is the only occupational therapy program in Oregon. There are a few professors who are good, but there's a lot of death by powerpoint and emphasis on teaching "professionalism" over much-needed OT skills. The class size has grown without more resources being provided for the program, so instructors say they don't even have time to give individualized feedback on assignments. I don't know if this has changed, but when I was there there wasn't even a practice OT clinic on campus, which is a bit ridiculous for a clinical doctorate program. On the bright side, there are tons of OT jobs out there and you won't have trouble finding one. (Which is good, since you'll be paying $2k/month in loans for ten years after graduation.)"
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Counseling
"It is important to enter college prepared to study and put effort into pursuing a degree in the field you intend to work in throughout your life. Being able to focus, study with distractions present and independently manage your life are critical skills."
Current PA Student
  • Reviewed: 2/24/2017
  • Degree: Physician Assistant
"I am in my first year of PA school, and overall it's a great experience. It really is as hard as everyone says, but my classmates and their families are INCREDIBLE. The academic building is nice, and the faculty and staff seem to really care about students."
Bahar
  • Reviewed: 2/18/2017
  • Degree: Law
"The best choice I did was picking McGeorge as the institution for pursuing my legal education. I have nothing bad to say about the faculty, staff, or students; it is really a family feel here. McGeorge has prepared me for my future law endeavors by providing the best educational program. The professors here are truly exceptional with extreme knowledge on the material. I would highly recommend this law school to any one interested in pursuing this profession."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 1/24/2017
  • Degree: Education
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Pacific. The professors truly care about their students and work hard to make sure we are able to demonstrate our understanding of a variety of different teaching methods. I learned a lot during the MAT program and would highly recommend Pacific to receive your Master's degree."
Mike
  • Reviewed: 8/22/2016
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"Excellent university with amazing staff that care about your future. The university has a good atmosphere which is very important when you will spend a majority of your time there. Absolutely wonderful clinical experiences that prepare you to practice. I got into other schools, but I couldn't imagine going anywhere else."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 7/22/2016
  • Degree: Chemistry
"Here's some things I like about Pacific: it has a good pipeline into their professional programs, and has and extremely dedicated career development staff. There is, in general, quite a few decent activities on campus to enjoy, such as guest speakers and the theater & dance departments' shows (especially the Improv shows, which often get packed). In addition, the people on campus are generally agreeable, and recognize that they need to maintain good relationships with others to get along. Pacific also has some new dorms, with are pretty sweet, and they're planning to get rid of some of the old dorms (i.e. Clark), but I'm not sure they actually will until the new dorm hall is built. There's also a good dedication to the academic environment--everyone is working hard and respects that the classes there are difficult and demanding. The Luau [sic] in the spring is pretty fun to attend. Some things I don't like about Pacific: its football program definitely lowered the professional nature of the campus. Ever since the football players got on, there's been an definite decline in general student behavior and performance. I personally would've preferred that the school had kept the football program dormant, but with their recent expansion I guess they need more students to balance out the budget deficit--plus there was always a small number of men on campus, so this could balance that out a bit. Although Forest Grove is okay, it's small, and there's not much to do. Thankfully, you can hop on the '57' Trimet bus into Portland if you want to go do something, but getting back is a chore unless you pay for a hotel, which is expensive. Beaverton is a reasonable travel spot for fun. Otherwise, you've got to deal with either Billiard or the Cantina (although with the new Tyson's pub, it might be more reasonable to have a less crowded bar experience, but I got out in '15, so I don't know about that.). Pacific is also very clique-y. No doubt this is due to the small campus environment, and further compounded by the student culture. If you don't fit in with a certain group, it can be rough. Most people on campus are polite, though, so you'll probably get acceptable group members if you ever get grouped up for a project. They also have discontinued dances at campus, mostly because the football people keep on messing them up for everyone by showing up drunk and pulling fire alarms and stuff--not that the dances were especially classy in the first place."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 11/3/2015
  • Degree: Writing
"Horrible admin, but mostly great professors who knew what they were talking about and cared about their students."
V.
  • Reviewed: 7/20/2015
  • Degree: Writing
"Pacific's administration sucks but there are a lot of great professors there who really know what they're talking about and genuinely want to help the students. Also the campus is pretty. It isn't much of a party college, and attracted a lot of A-type people who wanted to get good grades, at least when I was there. Also, Forest Grove is a horrible place."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 7/20/2015
  • Degree: Biology
"Excellent overall experience. Academically challenging, beautiful campus, great people, and I really enjoyed my time there. A little on the pricey side, but they are generous with scholarships and it was well worth the investment."
Sean McEwen
  • Reviewed: 5/26/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"Pacific U has a great faculty that has been truly inspiring throughout my graduate students. They are diverse in their research interests, invested in their students' futures, and really strive to create a learning environment that is supportive of their students' needs. Pacific allows for a lot of cross over between different years of students and other programs (combining Masters, PhD, and PsyD students in classes) and also have a great focus on inter-professional work. Pacific is located in a distant suburb of Portland, OR so the commute isn't great but is manageable with the light rail."
Emily Watson
  • Reviewed: 4/1/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"This program offers an excellent opportunity to gain specialized experiences and develop a niche within a particular subfield of graduate psychology. A con would be that major changes in recent years have resulted in disorganization and inconsistency from administration."
Kierza Ellwood
  • Reviewed: 2/7/2015
  • Degree: MBA
"The new MBA program at Pacific is an excellent program. Pacific is truly living up to its reputation as a wonderful school. The campus is located just outside of downtown Hillsboro and has good on and off campus parking as well as public transportation within walking distance. The program is very new, and therefore has its foibles. Professors are still trying to get used to the condensed term, but are great about working as much as possible with the students even though the workload is heavy, which is expected in a graduate program."
Alesha Brock
  • Reviewed: 1/24/2015
  • Degree: Elementary Education
"I am proud and excited to be a student of Pacific University. After attending another large university during my undergraduate program, I felt lost in a pool of thousands of other students and never made any lasting relationships with educators or advisors that could help shape my future career. That all changed when I first met with my advisors at Pacific University. I immediately felts comfortable and valued and that I wasn't on this journey of fulfilling my Master's degree alone because I had a network of people at my side ready to catch me if I failed and celebrate in my victories with me. The cost of tuition is higher than other universities but I can't put a monetary amount on the support I have received from my program at Pacific University."
Sharon Long
  • Reviewed: 12/29/2014
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"A con would be that it is located in a super small town, but that is also a pro in itself because it has that small town charm. Also, it is an hour out from Portland so if you ever need a break, Portland is there!"
Vanessa Somohano
  • Reviewed: 8/6/2014
  • Degree: Psychology
"The pros of this program are small cohort, supportive staff who are quick to respond to emails, interesting classes, on-site clinic, great building with access to technology and public transportation. Cons may be that the city the professional psychology campus is in is not a "college town" and not too much entertainment around the area."
Hannah Sawitsky
  • Reviewed: 7/16/2014
  • Degree: Psychology
"I am new to this program but so far every aspect of the school has been excellent. Professors are very accessible and willing to devote time to support students in every aspect of their time at Pacific. Small cohort sizes seem like they will contribute to a great academic and social environment."
Michael Smith
  • Reviewed: 5/10/2014
  • Degree: Physician Assistant
"Excellent school with a great faculty that really cares about student success. A great experience."