Our History

Azusa Pacific University began in 1899 as the Training School for Christian Workers. A gathering of spiritual leaders assembled to establish the first Bible college on the West Coast, geared toward training students for ministry and service endeavors.

After moving several times and merging with other various colleges throughout the century, APU now resides in Azusa, a Southern California location about 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Rapid growth in the past 20 years has both established the university and maintained the vision of the past. APU achieved university status in the '80s and subsequent developments include off-site regional centers, which allow students to receive a degree without actually attending classes in Azusa, and the addition of master's and doctoral degree programs.

As president, Richard E. Felix, Ph.D., reframed the cornerstones as Christ, Scholarship, Community, and Service. During his tenure, student enrollment doubled, the institution constructed seven new buildings, and the number of graduate programs quadrupled.

Today, under the leadership of President Jon R. Wallace, DBA, Azusa Pacific University maintains the mission of service, now with an emphasis on the campus, the surrounding community, and the world. Various programs, such as the Oxford Study Abroad Program, provide students with the opportunity to attend schools in many different countries. Multiple missionary sites throughout the world are also readily available for student involvement.

More than a century after its founding, Azusa Pacific University serves as a comprehensive evangelical, Christian university, dedicated to supporting God First and excellence in higher education. The institution offers more than 40 areas of undergraduate study, 20 master's degree programs, and 4 doctorates to a total enrollment of more than 7,600 students. APU continues to prepare students to serve Christ throughout the world.