Point Loma Nazarene University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences • San Diego, CA • Campus • $1,650/Credit (Undergraduate, at 15 Units, Derived)

Point Loma Nazarene University offers 1 dietetics credential, a private Christian campus program with an ACEND-accredited DPD:

  • B.S., Dietetics (the ACEND Didactic Program in Dietetics), with a non-degree route to a verification statement for bachelor’s holders

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S. Dietetics$49,500/yr in tuition plus a $1,000 general fee (2026-27)4 years130 per the catalog (129 per a handbook plan)
Verification Statement Only (Non-Degree)Not published; about $49,500 if the 24-unit minimum is taken in two semesters at the full-time rate (derived)Not statedAt least 24 upper-division units at PLNU

PLNU’s differentiator is a plain DPD inside a Christian liberal-arts bachelor’s, with no internship, master’s, or Coordinated Program attached. Graduates complete the rest of the RD route elsewhere, and PLNU names no partnerships to help. A non-degree route also lets bachelor’s holders in other fields earn the verification statement without a second degree.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus (listed as on-site by WSCUC); PLNU’s handbook notes that occasional dietetics core classes are offered in a hybrid fashion, with no cadence given
Credit Hours130 units per the catalog, 84 to 85 in the major core; a handbook four-year plan sums to 129
ACEND AccreditationYes — Didactic Program in Dietetics only. ACEND recorded full and continued accreditation in July 2019 and continued accreditation after a progress report in October 2024, with no reason published. No term end date was found, and PLNU’s catalog itself does not state the accreditation
RD/RDN EligibilityNot directly. The DPD issues a verification statement; graduates then need a graduate degree in any subject, an ACEND-accredited internship, and the national exam
Supervised PracticeNone built in; PLNU has no internship, graduate program, or named internship partnerships
Reported OutcomesNo results published; the handbook lists targets only (such as an 80% one-year exam pass rate) and says outcome data is available on request
AdmissionsNo DPD-specific GPA gate or cap found; students enter PLNU and declare the major. The 2.8 GPA applies to earning the verification statement. University priority deadline February 15 for fall; SAT and ACT optional
Verification-Only RouteA bachelor’s in another major, transcript review, acceptance to PLNU, and at least 24 upper-division dietetics units at PLNU; a second B.S. is the alternative
Tuition$24,750 per semester for 12 to 17 units (2026-27), up from $23,750; $2,063 per unit under 12 units; general fee $500 per semester
Institutional AccreditationWSCUC (WASC Senior College and University Commission)

Bachelor of Science, Dietetics

The estimated tuition is $49,500 a year for 2026-27 ($24,750 per semester for 12 to 17 units), plus a $500 general fee each semester. Holding 2026-27 rates flat, four years comes to about $198,000 in tuition and $4,000 in fees, a floor, since rates rise annually. The catalog lists the degree at 130 units, higher than the 128 most majors require.

Verification and Costs

  • Verification statement: a C or better in all core DPD and prerequisite courses, a 2.8 GPA, code of ethics compliance, and completion of the KRDN standards
  • Lab fees: most science courses add $200 each, and nutrition courses add $20 to $40 per unit, roughly $1,900 over the degree (derived, from an undated fee list)
  • Room and board is separate: a commuter 2026-27 semester total is $25,605 and a first-year residential total is $33,005
You Should Know

ACEND’s October 2024 decision required a progress report, and the reason is not published. PLNU’s own pages disagree in several places: 130 units in the catalog against 129 in the handbook plan, different course lists for the same major, five versus six verification criteria, and a handbook line that applicants need SAT or ACT scores when the admissions page says they are optional. WSCUC also lists a legacy “Nutrition” bachelor’s from 2008 that appears in no current PLNU catalog.

Verification Statement Without a Second Degree

Bachelor’s holders in other majors can earn the verification statement through a non-degree route run by undergraduate admissions: transcripts reviewed by the dietetics director, acceptance to PLNU, and at least 24 upper-division dietetics units taken at PLNU, with the exact courses depending on prior coursework. International applicants also need a credential evaluation, English proficiency, and an affidavit of support. Cost, length, and application deadlines for this route are not published.

A Related Program That Is Not Dietetics

PLNU’s online M.S. in Integrative Wellness (33 units, 12 months, $745 per unit for 2026-27) leads to health-coach and lifestyle-medicine board exams. It is not ACEND-accredited and makes no RD claim; its page lists registered dietitian only among careers it can lead on to.

Tuition

PLNU is a private university with one undergraduate tuition rate for all students, regardless of residency.

  • 2026-27: $24,750 per semester for 12 to 17 units; $2,063 per unit under 12; $1,650 per unit over 17; summer $575 per unit; general fee $500 per semester
  • 2025-26: $23,750 per semester; $1,980 per unit under 12; $1,585 over 17; summer $555; general fee $475
  • One-time fees: a $55 application fee, a $120 degree processing fee, a $425 enrollment deposit (credited), and a $450 new first-year student fee

Be aware that:

The per-credit figure in this profile’s meta line ($1,650) is a derived effective rate at a 15-unit load, not a rate PLNU publishes. PLNU’s Costs page labels the 2026-27 figure “estimated” while its catalog lists it firm, and the handbook’s cost section still shows the older $1,585 excess-unit rate.

Official figures are on PLNU’s Costs page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for students who want a small Christian campus in San Diego with an accredited DPD, and who plan to apply for a master’s and internship elsewhere.

Undergraduates get the DPD inside the major with no separate program application, and graduate with the verification statement if they hold a 2.8 GPA and C grades or better in the core.

Career changers can earn the statement without a second degree through the non-degree route, though its price and length are unpublished.

The honest trade-off is cost and reach: tuition is private-university pricing, no outcomes are published, and PLNU has no internship, graduate program, or named partner to finish the route.

Accreditation

PLNU is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), first accredited in 1949, with its most recent Commission action on June 10, 2020 and reviews scheduled for spring and fall 2027. This governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.

ACEND’s decisions pages list PLNU’s Didactic Program in Dietetics twice: full and continued accreditation in July 2019, and continued accreditation after a progress report in October 2024. No probation, reduced term, or closure appears, and no term end date is published. PLNU has no other ACEND program.

PLNU’s handbook describes the path after the DPD as a master’s degree in any subject, then an ACEND-accredited internship or graduate program, then the national exam; it also states that California requires no license beyond registration. The DPD alone does not lead to RDN eligibility.

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