Point Loma Nazarene University 
The information on this page was last updated 1/29/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
PLNU is a Christian liberal arts university located in San Diego, CA, and sits on a 90-acre campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In addition to more than 60 undergraduate areas of study, PLNU also offers graduate programs.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Point Loma Nazarene University
3900 Lomaland Dr
San Diego, CA 92106
Website: pointloma.edu
Phone: 619-849-2200
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 951644035
CEO/President: Kerry Fulcher
Chairman: Rev. Doug Pierce
Board size: 29
Founder: Dr. Phineas F. Bresee
Ruling year: 1937
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2014
Purpose
Discovering Vocation, Expanding Horizons, Deepening Faith, Transforming Communities
Mission statement
Point Loma Nazarene University exists to provide higher education in a vital Christian community where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service is an expression of faith. Being of Wesleyan heritage, we strive to be a learning community where truth is pursued, grace is foundational, and holiness is a way of life.
Statement of faith
Articles
| 8/13/2023 | PLNU's Mission Trip to Australia and New Zealand, Christian Relief for Maui Fires, and Launch Global's Evangelism Efforts |
Donor confidence score
Show donor confidence score details
To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 800 of 1423 | 96 of 155 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 905 of 1423 | 106 of 155 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1136 of 1423 | 122 of 155 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 261 of 1424 | 27 of 155 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $678,637 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 13% | 29% | 24% | 16% | 11% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 15% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 9% | 11% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 85% | 96% | 96% | 94% | 91% | 89% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 77% | 73% | 76% | 65% | 79% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 104% | 97% | 97% | 94% | 91% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 80% | 71% | 74% | 61% | 72% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | -4% | 3% | 3% | 6% | 9% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | -5% | 3% | 3% | 7% | 9% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 22% | 26% | 23% | 34% | 20% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.52 | 0.83 | 0.72 | 0.66 | 0.64 | 0.62 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.73 | 3.56 | 3.68 | 2.58 | 2.28 | 2.50 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.45 | 2.94 | 2.66 | 1.71 | 1.46 | 1.56 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.18 | 3.52 | 3.88 | 6.32 | 6.34 | 4.94 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.20 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.99 | 2.92 | 3.35 | 5.91 | 6.94 | 6.15 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 38% | 36% | 40% | 39% | 38% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 30% | 28% | 25% | 26% | 25% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 148% | 75% | 89% | 90% | 96% | 99% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $18,890,187 | $4,209,965 | $31,858,222 | $59,189,659 | $40,161,622 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $9,751,233 | $11,134,680 | $8,949,077 | $10,880,994 | $10,668,035 |
| Short-term investments | $42,022,569 | $53,195,798 | $60,562,427 | $39,215,999 | $41,744,277 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $70,663,989 | $68,540,443 | $101,369,726 | $109,286,652 | $92,573,934 |
| Long-term investments | $1,054,757 | $1,453,786 | $1,619,104 | $2,058,520 | $2,310,051 |
| Fixed assets | $167,277,362 | $160,702,429 | $150,222,935 | $130,866,166 | $130,506,963 |
| Other long-term assets | $12,251,481 | $21,643,396 | $8,528,303 | $7,268,514 | $5,581,745 |
| Total long-term assets | $180,583,600 | $183,799,611 | $160,370,342 | $140,193,200 | $138,398,759 |
| Total assets | $251,247,589 | $252,340,054 | $261,740,068 | $249,479,852 | $230,972,693 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $9,430,214 | $9,898,096 | $9,003,801 | $9,993,321 | $10,652,614 |
| Other current liabilities | $10,655,174 | $7,750,476 | $7,031,126 | $7,253,814 | $8,070,316 |
| Total current liabilities | $20,085,388 | $17,648,572 | $16,034,927 | $17,247,135 | $18,722,930 |
| Debt | $74,373,090 | $70,190,722 | $66,432,335 | $64,169,597 | $57,670,358 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $1,608,970 | $2,216,739 | $22,661,694 | $15,618,168 | $11,898,418 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $75,982,060 | $72,407,461 | $89,094,029 | $79,787,765 | $69,568,776 |
| Total liabilities | $96,067,448 | $90,056,033 | $105,128,956 | $97,034,900 | $88,291,706 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $146,583,885 | $151,753,766 | $144,664,399 | $144,336,523 | $136,727,072 |
| With donor restrictions | $8,596,256 | $10,530,255 | $11,946,713 | $8,108,429 | $5,953,915 |
| Net assets | $155,180,141 | $162,284,021 | $156,611,112 | $152,444,952 | $142,680,987 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $7,850,169 | $7,665,974 | $11,140,618 | $15,990,043 | $16,661,712 |
| Program service revenue | $189,148,515 | $175,983,576 | $164,213,981 | $152,170,985 | $138,569,173 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $3,122,115 | $3,488,670 | $2,396,232 | $1,383,611 | $2,101,718 |
| Other revenue | $222,227 | $195,011 | $237,925 | $181,125 | $96,833 |
| Total other revenue | $192,492,857 | $179,667,257 | $166,848,138 | $153,735,721 | $140,767,724 |
| Total revenue | $200,343,026 | $187,333,231 | $177,988,756 | $169,725,764 | $157,429,436 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $160,452,068 | $132,931,831 | $131,613,627 | $103,846,667 | $113,917,592 |
| Management and general | $45,038,462 | $47,349,238 | $39,934,083 | $53,584,256 | $28,555,919 |
| Fundraising | $2,267,838 | $1,839,566 | $1,798,522 | $1,706,498 | $1,565,835 |
| Total expenses | $207,758,368 | $182,120,635 | $173,346,232 | $159,137,421 | $144,039,346 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($7,415,342) | $5,212,596 | $4,642,524 | $10,588,343 | $13,390,090 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($7,415,342) | $5,212,596 | $4,642,524 | $10,588,343 | $13,390,090 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Robert Brower | President (part Year) | $588,090 |
| Dr Kerry Fulcher | President | $367,831 |
| Jeff Bolster | VP of University Services | $303,691 |
| Joseph Laluzerne | Chief Financial Officer | $279,608 |
| Mary Paul | VP of Student Life | $255,756 |
| Jim Daichendt | Provost | $217,705 |
| Holly Irwin | Vice President For Mission and Calling | $214,114 |
| Samara Timms | Avp For HR | $192,550 |
| Walter Augustine | VP For Intercultural Engagement | $139,068 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 1/29/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
When Dr. Phineas F. Bresee responded to the growing need for a Christian college in the Los Angeles area, God used him to answer the heartfelt prayers of a group of six women who called themselves the Bible College Prayer Circle. The group had come together in 1897, and on July 28, 1902, their prayers were answered. Bresee founded and became the first president of Pacific Bible College, which would become Pasadena College and later Point Loma Nazarene University. The women had envisioned a Bible college, but Bresee's vision was for a liberal arts institution. He believed spiritual and academic learning went hand-in-hand. That legacy is still with us today, as PLNU remains committed to the liberal arts and to whole-person education.
Pacific Bible College began with 41 students. In 1910, Bresee purchased the Hugus Ranch land in Pasadena and fulfilled his dream of creating not just a Bible college but a holiness university. Nazarene University opened in 1910 and from its beginning included male and female students.
By 1919, the name of the school had changed again to Pasadena College.
In 1964, W. Shelburne Brown became president of Pasadena College. He was instrumental in moving the college from its original location in Pasadena to its new Point Loma, San Diego, home in 1973.
Dr. Bob Brower, PLNU's current president, was inaugurated in 1998. In 1999, PLNU began graduate programs in education in Bakersfield and Mission Valley. A graduate program in education had remained in Pasadena since the move and in 2001, it moved to Arcadia. Also in 2001, an MBA program was added in Mission Valley. PLNU now has three locations: the undergraduate campus in Point Loma and graduate programs at regional centers in Bakersfield and Mission Valley in San Diego. PLNU currently offers graduate degrees in biology, business, education, nursing, clinical counseling, kinesiology, and theology.
Bresee's commitments to the message of holiness and to helping the poor set the stage for the future work of the Church of the Nazarene and PLNU. Nazarene churches are known for their outreach, their service to those in need, and addressing issues of social justice. Though the university began with only $4,000 in pledges, God has been faithful. Today, PLNU is home to more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
There is a Bible on campus, encased in protective glass, that belonged to Phineas Bresee. It's opened to Isaiah 62, the chapter Bresee claimed for the school. Permanently marked with his fingerprints, it displays a double message: God's words in Isaiah 62 and Bresee's love for those words. It's a message of being grounded in Scripture, of pursuing a well-rounded education and serving the poor out of a primary and intense love for God and His Word. Bresee died in 1915, but his message still resonates. In fact, it defines PLNU.
Program accomplishments
15:1 Student to Faculty Ratio
$49.1 million in grant and scholarship aid awarded to PLNU students in 2020-21
Top 5 ranked most selective Christian college in the U.S.
90% medical school acceptance rate