Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Founded in 2005, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) opened its doors to the first cohort of students within the College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008. Subsequently the first cohort of students within the Master of Arts in Medical Sciences program matriculated in 2021 and the first cohort of School of Physical Therapy students matriculated in 2022. PNWU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The PNWU mission is to educate and train health care professionals emphasizing service among rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Matriculants | 211 | 197 | 197 |
| Avg. Age | 26 | 25 | 26 |
| Age Range | 20-48 | 21-47 | 20-56 |
| % Female | 50.7% | 52.8% | 62.9% |
| % Male | 48.8% | 46.7% | 37.1% |
| % Undisclosed | 0.5% | 0.5% | – |
| % from the NW | 72% | 70% | 66% |
| Alaska | 1.4% | 2.0% | – |
| Idaho | 5.7% | 3.6% | 4.1% |
| Montana | 2.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Oregon | 9.5% | 8.6% | 7.6% |
| Washington | 53.1% | 54.3% | 53.3% |
| % from a Rural Area | 27% | 23% | 13% |
| % from a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) | 33% | 29% | 32% |
| White | 50.7% | 49.2% | 38.1% |
| Asian | 24.6% | 27.9% | 31.0% |
| Black or African American | 3.3% | 0.5% | 2.5% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.9% | – | – |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | – | 0.5% | – |
| Two or More Races | 8.5% | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| Hispanic | 11.4% | 15.2% | 18.3% |
| Undeclared | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2.5% |
Fall Enrollment as of August 28th, 2024
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 595 | 622 | 650 | 665 |
Spring Enrollment as of January 19th, 2024
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 602 | 623 | 658 |
Total Degrees Conferred
| Graduation Year | Number of Graduates |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 68 |
| 2013 | 74 |
| 2014 | 71 |
| 2015 | 71 |
| 2016 | 71 |
| 2017 | 133 |
| 2018 | 139 |
| 2019 | 135 |
| 2020 | 140 |
| 2021 | 137 |
| 2022 | 177 |
| 2023 | 159 |
| 2024 | 177 |
| Total | 1,552 |
Introduction
In May 2020, five peer graduate health science institutions in the NWCCU accreditation region joined to develop a data-sharing/peer comparison consortium whose common goal is to improve student success, including the identification and closure of equity gaps, within their institutions and to comply with Standard 1.D.3. The data provided in this section includes benchmarked disaggregated outcomes for key student indicators. Results with five or fewer students are suppressed (*).
Updated August 2024 with Academic Year 2022-23 results.
Graduation within 150% of expected length of program
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 88.7% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 95.8% |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 73.4% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% |
150% Graduation by Age Group
| Age 20-29 | Age 30-39 | Age 40+ | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 92.1% | 84.0% | 79.1% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 96.8% | 87.5% | * |
| Age 20-29 | Age 30-39 | Age 40+ | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 76.7% | 67.1% | 73.2% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * |
150% Graduation by Gender
| Male | Female | Non-Binary | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 90.0% | 88.1% | * | 85.7% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 95.6% | 95.9% | * | * |
| Male | Female | Non-Binary | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 79.6% | 71.5% | * | * |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * | * |
150% Graduation by Race/Ethnicity
| White | Students of Color** | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 89.5% | 85.6% | 92.1% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 97.9% | 93.0% | * |
| White | Students of Color** | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 72.2% | 78.0% | 72.0% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * |
Retention (Year 1 to Year 2)
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 91.7% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 98.6% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Physical Therapy | 91.2% |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 82.4% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% |
Retention by Age Group
| Age 20-29 | Age 30-39 | Age 40+ | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 94.1% | 89.7% | 83.9% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 99.2% | 100% | * |
| PNWU – Doctor of Physical Therapy | 93.5% | * | * |
| Age 20-29 | Age 30-39 | Age 40+ | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 77.8% | 84.6% | 90.7% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * |
Retention by Gender
| Male | Female | Non-Binary | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 90.8% | 92.2% | * | * |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 98.5% | 98.7% | * | * |
| PNWU – Doctor of Physical Therapy | 84.2% | 100% | * | * |
| Male | Female | Non-Binary | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 81.3% | 82.8% | * | * |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * | * |
Retention by Race/Ethnicity
| White | Students of Color** | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Clinical Professional Doctorate Programs at peer institutions) | 93.4% | 89.1% | 94.0% |
| PNWU – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 100% | 97.0% | * |
| PNWU – Doctor of Physical Therapy | 85.7% | 100% | * |
| White | Students of Color** | Undisclosed | |
| Benchmark (Academic Master’s Programs at peer institutions) | 80.5% | 86.8% | 87.0% |
| PNWU – Master of Arts in Medical Sciences | 100% | 100% | * |
*Results with five or fewer students are suppressed
**Students of color includes all reported within the IPEDS categories of: Black/African American, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Two or more Races