It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary.

Seattle Pacific University was founded in 1891 by Free Methodist pioneers to train missionaries for overseas service.

[4] The first permanent building built on campus, designed by notable architect John B. Parkinson, was completed in early 1893 and the seminary held its first classes that Spring.

[8] In May 2022, the university's board of trustees voted to keep rules in place that ban LGBTQ people from becoming employees, prompting student protests.

[9] Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced on July 29 that his office was investigating the university's hiring practices, describing them as potentially illegal and discriminatory.

[10] In turn, the university filed a lawsuit against the attorney general, saying that the investigation violates its religious freedom.

[11] On January 26, 2023 it was announced that current Roberts Wesleyan University President Deanna Porterfield would conclude her work in June at the institution in Rochester, NY.

[12] As the school developed from a seminary of the Free Methodist Church to its current status as a doctoral degree granting institution, its name has changed over time to befit its changes in status:[3] The university's academic programs are divided into one college and five schools: SPU offers a four-year alternate series of general education classes for honors students called University Scholars, in which every student double-majors, earning a major in "Honors: Liberal Arts" as well as another major of their choice.

There are no University Scholars classes scheduled for the fall of junior year so students have the opportunity to study abroad.

As of the 2023 Autumn Quarter: The university sits on a 43-acre campus at the northern end of Queen Anne Hill, near the Fremont neighborhood and approximately four miles north of downtown Seattle.

The building is named for Calvin Dorr Demaray, president of SPU from 1959 to 1968 and pastor of First Free Methodist Church, from 1948 to 1959.

Its symbols are drawn from American Pima, Arabic, Aztec, Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek cultures.

Multiple functions are held in Upper Gwinn, ranging from Group (a Wednesday night worship service), admissions events, lectures, board meetings and more.

Wells Gwinn, for whom the dining facility is named, served 32 years on the Seattle Pacific Board of Trustees.

In addition to printed reference materials, the library also has access to myriad electronic databases including JSTOR, ProQuest Direct, EBSCOHost, First Search, and others.

Opened in 1905, Peterson Hall is the second-oldest building on campus and houses the School of Education as well as the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Originally built to house administration and additional classrooms, it was designed by Seattle architect William Jewett.

Built in 2003, it is the most advanced building on campus, complete with an electron microscope, cold room, fully contained greenhouse and LEED Certification.

The university offers other on-campus residence options, such as the Cremona and Wesley apartments, and other small suite- or apartment-style living facilities for continuing students.

In previous years the ball has been held at the Space Needle, on an Argosy Cruise, and at Seattle's W Hotel.

The hall's annual events include a fall retreat, an ice-broomball game, a citywide scavenger hunt, and an all-hall banquet.

This annual "Toilet Bowl" match featured as its trophy a urinal removed from Moyer during the 1983 remodel, which the losing hall was required to display prominently the year following their loss.

The 05–06 school year also introduced a new event called The Experience Moyer Project (EMP), which featured musical talent from the hall as well as a variety of other activities.