Where Is Pacific University Located?

Pacific University is located in Oregon, with its main campuses in Forest Grove and Hillsboro, plus healthcare clinics across the greater Portland area. If you're trying to picture where you'd actually spend your time as a student, employee, or visitor, the answer depends on which part of the university you're connected to — the undergraduate residential experience centers on Forest Grove, while some graduate and professional programs sit in Hillsboro.

The two main campuses

Pacific describes itself as operating "at its campuses in Forest Grove or Hillsboro, Oregon." Both are in the Portland metropolitan region, roughly west of downtown Portland.

The university was founded more than 175 years ago as a school for orphans and is now a private, nonprofit institution. That long history is tied to Forest Grove, which is why the Forest Grove campus carries most of the traditional "campus life" identity.

Beyond the campuses: clinics across greater Portland

Pacific isn't only a place students take classes. It also runs healthcare clinics across the greater Portland area, where employees volunteer and student interns work. This matters if you're trying to understand the university's physical footprint: it extends into the community through clinical sites, not just the two named campuses.

What the location means for you

• If you're an undergraduate: expect the residential, community-oriented experience associated with the Forest Grove campus.
• If you're in a graduate or professional program: your program may be based in Hillsboro or involve clinical placements in the Portland area.
• If you're a patient or community member: the clinics are distributed across greater Portland rather than concentrated on one campus.
• If you're an alum: the university frames its reach as extending "in the lives and communities of alumni worldwide," so the connection isn't limited to Oregon.

A quick way to confirm your specific location

Because programs are split between two campuses and off-site clinics, the campus name alone won't tell you where your classes or appointments happen. The reliable move is to check the specific program or clinic page rather than assume. Pacific's own framing — "Find your home at Pacific University" — points to the idea that your particular home depends on your path, not a single address.

If you're deciding whether to visit or apply, start by identifying your program, then confirm which campus hosts it. That single step resolves most of the ambiguity about "where" Pacific University actually is for you.