Fresno Pacific University is freezing tuition for undergraduate students for the 2021-2022 school year and is offering a new scholarship to qualified students that is intended to fill in any gaps between other financial aid and the cost of tuition.
Tuition freeze
The tuition freeze is in effect for all students in traditional undergraduate programs as well as adults in the bachelor’s degree completion programs and applies at all five FPU campuses: Merced, North Fresno, the main campus in Southeast Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield. Tuition in graduate programs, including Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary, will rise a modest 2.99 percent.
This means traditional undergraduate tuition will remain at $32,954, among the lowest for a Christian college or university in California. Degree completion and graduate tuition varies by program.
“The institution recognizes the many hardships Valley communities have faced in 2020, and we believe keeping tuition flat for the next year will encourage students to pursue higher education in as affordable a manner as possible,” says Jon Endicott, vice president for enrollment management and student services.
FPU has a long-time commitment to making a high-quality education accessible to Valley students and their families. Sixty seven percent of students enrolled at Fresno Pacific come from families earning less than $40,000 per year and 49 percent are the first in their families to attend a four-year university. Some 45 percent identify as Latinx and all students, no matter their background or income share the Valley’s highest graduation rate of 53 percent in four years.
The university offers $29 million in institutional financial aid each year, covering 98 percent of students. Four-year graduation guarantees are available to qualified traditional undergraduates with two-year guarantees for qualified transfer and degree completion students.
“We invest in our students because by providing a hope and a future for them, we do the same for the entire Valley,” Endicott says. “In business, education, psychology, social work, ministry and many other professions, our 4,000 students tend to stay close to home and become leaders in their communities.”
New scholarship expands possibilities
The new Possibilities Scholarship guarantees qualified students a place at FPU by filling in any gaps between other financial aid and the cost of tuition. Incoming freshmen will be eligible for the award if they:
- Have at least a 3.6 academic GPA (on a 4.0 scale, excluding all non-academic courses and courses taken in ninth grade).
- Receive either a Cal Grant A or Cal Grant B, a maximum Federal Pell Grant
- Meet other financial need criteria.
- Enroll in a traditional undergraduate program.
For recipient Zoie Balver, a liberal studies major with a minor in mathematics, the Possibilities Scholarship is not only a path to become the first in her family to graduate from college but an affirmation of her desire to educate future generations.
“It means that other people see the potential I have to succeed; that I have what it takes. It provided me with the opportunity to accomplish my goal of becoming an amazing elementary school teacher,” she says.
The scholarship is renewable at the same dollar amount each year recipients maintain good academic standing and eligibility for Cal Grants and Pell Grants. For more information on how to apply for the FPU Possibilities Scholarship, check the website at fpu.edu/possibilities or contact the Undergraduate Admission Office by email at ugadmis@fresno.edu or phone at 559-453-2039 or 800-660-6089 (toll free).
While FPU keeps its focus on serving the Central Valley, its work is honored nationally. U.S. News & World Report placed the university at number three in the social mobility category and at 27 in best values among Regional Universities—West in its 2021 Best Colleges rankings. Washington Monthly affirmed the best value message, ranking FPU at 35 on its list. Fresno Pacific is also the most ethnically diverse Christian school in California: christianuniversitiesonline.org/diversity-christian-universities/
Fresno Pacific University is California’s Central Valley’s only accredited Christian university, connecting every student’s untapped potential with unlimited opportunity for professional, personal and ethical growth. Nonprofit and independent, FPU offers more than 100 areas of study to about 4,000 traditional undergraduate, adult degree completion, graduate and seminary students at the main campus in Southeast Fresno and throughout the Valley at regional campuses in North Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and Merced as well as online.
