University of the Pacific (United States)

The University of the Pacific (often called Pacific or UOP) is a private university in the United States. It has its main campus in Stockton, California, with additional graduate campuses in San Francisco and Sacramento. It was the first university to be officially recognized in California, receiving its charter in 1851. It was also the first school in California to allow both boys and girls to study together and the first to offer classes in music and medicine on the West Coast.

The university began in Santa Clara, California in 1851 under the name California Wesleyan College. It later moved to San Jose in 1871 before settling in Stockton in 1924. Today, it offers many different areas of study, including business, dentistry, education, engineering, law, music, and more.

One special part of the university is the Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives. It holds many important items connected to John Muir, a famous naturalist who helped create the National Parks system. The William Knox Holt Memorial Library has a special space where people can learn more about Muir’s life and work through exhibits and digital displays.

History

The University of the Pacific began on July 10, 1851, in Santa Clara, California, as California Wesleyan College. One month later, it changed its name to the University of the Pacific and opened in 1852. In 1858, it started the first medical school on the West Coast. The school began offering classes to both men and women in 1852, and became fully coeducational in 1870.

In 1871, the campus moved to San Jose, where it became the first independent school in California to allow both men and women. In 1878, it opened the first Conservatory of Music west of the Mississippi River. In 1924, the campus moved to Stockton, becoming the first private four-year university in the Central Valley. The university later added many new schools, including a School of Pharmacy in 1955 and a Graduate School in 1956. In 2013, the university received a very large gift of $125 million, which was the biggest gift in its history. In 2019, it started a new health school with several programs for adults who are already working.

Campuses

Stockton

The Stockton Campus has beautiful gardens, tall columns, brick buildings, and many trees. It has been used in movies like High Time, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because it looks like famous schools on the East Coast. The campus has places for students to live, including Grace Covell Hall, which is the biggest dorm, and several smaller housing options.

The campus also has a technology center for engineering and computer science, a library, and a church called Morris Chapel.

Sacramento

The Sacramento Campus is smaller, with graduate and professional programs. It is located in the Oak Park neighborhood and has buildings for classes, places to live, and a fitness center. It includes a law school and programs in health sciences.

San Francisco

Main article: University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

The San Francisco Campus has a dentistry school that offers dental care to the public. It also has graduate programs in areas like analytics and food studies.

Campus sustainability

The university works hard to protect the environment. Students can join projects to help the planet, and the dining services buy food from local farms when possible. The campus has solar panels on parking lots, which help power the school, and gardens for learning about nature. The university has also built buildings that use less energy.

Organization and administration

On July 1, 2020, Christopher Callahan became the 26th president of the university. Before this, he was the founding dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Academics

The University of the Pacific offers many different subjects for students to study. It has more than 80 areas for undergraduate students, including special fast-track programs, and over 30 programs for graduate students. The university has nine schools and colleges where students can learn.

The schools include the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, Benerd College in Stockton, Sacramento, and San Francisco, the College of the Pacific in Stockton for arts and sciences, the Conservatory of Music in Stockton (the first music school on the west coast), the Eberhardt School of Business in Stockton, the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, and others in Stockton and Sacramento.

Admissions

Getting into the University of the Pacific is considered "more selective." For students starting in fall 2025, about 69% of those who applied were offered a place. The average grade point average for new students was 3.61, and the average SAT score was 1316.

Reputation and rankings

In 2025, U.S. News & World Report placed the University of the Pacific at No. 139 among the best national universities in the United States. The 2026 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings ranked it 85th. In 2022, a study by the Georgetown University center found that the university offered a good return on investment for students from low-income families.

Student life

The University of the Pacific has students at three campuses. The main campus in Stockton has over 4,500 students, while the San Francisco and Sacramento campuses each have around 1,000 students.

The university has a student newspaper called the Pacifican, which has been running since 1908. About 10% of students join social groups called fraternities or sororities, and there are many other clubs and organizations for students to join.

Athletics

Main article: Pacific Tigers

See also: Pacific Tigers men's basketball and Pacific Tigers football

The University of the Pacific's sports teams, called the Pacific Tigers, compete in NCAA Division I. They have played in different conferences over the years. In 1952, they joined what is now the West Coast Conference. Later, they moved to the Big West Conference but returned to the West Coast Conference in 2013.

The school has many facilities for sports, including fields and centers for baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, and tennis.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of University of the Pacific (United States) people

The University of the Pacific has many famous graduates. Some of them include:

• Arif Alvi, who became the president of Pakistan.
• Rod Arrants, an actor.
• Scott Boras, a sports agent.
• Dave Brubeck, a well-known pianist and composer.
• Pete Carroll, a successful football coach.
• Jamie Lee Curtis, a famous actress.
• José Hernández, a NASA astronaut.
• Chris Isaak, a musician and actor.
• Matt de la Peña, an author who won a Newbery Medal.
• Alex Spanos, owner of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Many other successful people have also graduated from the university.