Azusa Pacific University, a Bible college, is located in the San Gabriel Valley community of Azusa, 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Situated on 52 acres, East Campus houses administrative facilities, classrooms, residence halls, a library, student center, and gymnasium. The 53-acre West Campus is home to the School of Nursing, Behavioral and Applied Sciences, Education, Haggard School of Theology, two libraries, the Richard and Vivian Felix Event Center, the John and Marilyn Duke Academic Complex, as well as numerous classrooms and offices.

The mission statement of Azusa Pacific University is: Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical Christian community of disciples and scholars who seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life.

The origins of Azusa Pacific University reside in 1899, when a group of spiritual leaders from various denominations met in Whittier, California, and established a Bible college geared to training students for service and missionary endeavors. This was the first Bible college founded on the West Coast.