The student population at Point Loma Nazarene University is 4,757 (3,246 undergraduate and 1,511 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 1,094 (29.87%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at PLNU is 68.24% which is increased by 479 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 615 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 49 male students for every 100 female students, down from 51 in 2015.
- 1,243 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 1,281.11% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 4,397 where 4,757 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 6 year-over-year increases and 3 decreases. It peaked at 4,757 students in 2025 and was lowest at 3,663 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 3,663 to 4,757 students, a net gain of 1,094 (29.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Point Loma Nazarene University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 3,115 where 3,246 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Point Loma Nazarene University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,282 where 1,511 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Point Loma Nazarene University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 47.95% and the percentage of black students is 2.69% at Point Loma Nazarene University. 7.27% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 30.78% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 56.46% to 47.95%. Asian enrollment grew from 5.08% to 7.27%. Black student enrollment increased from 2.59% to 2.69%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 24.11% to 30.78%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6643 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.6154 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Point Loma Nazarene University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,243 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 26% of total students. The number of online students has increased 1,281.11% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Point Loma Nazarene University from 2015 to 2025.