Private nonprofit · University
Chapman University
Orange, California · Midsize city
- 65.4%
- Admit rate
- $46,555
- Avg net price
- 82%
- Graduation rate
- $70,070
- Median earnings
Chapman University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Orange, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 7,478 undergraduates. It has a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Chapman University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 65.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1260–1440
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.75
Enter a test score to see where you land against Chapman University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Chapman University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Orange, California
Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolá, an expedition out of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, led by Father Junípero Serra, named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). The Orange International Street Fair has occurred annually over Labor Day Weekend in Downtown Orange since 1973. The fair draws an average of 400,000 in attendance every year. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 29 miles to Los Angeles, CA
- To the ocean
- 13 miles
- Nearest airport
- 8 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub
How Chapman University compares
More selective than 70% · #43 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 86%
Higher than 90% · #28 of 122 in California
Higher than 88%
Higher than 83% · #50 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 2% · #109 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 72%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 85%
Percentiles compare Chapman University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Chapman University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate7,47879%
- Graduate2,04721%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,84265%
- Men2,63635%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black2.2%
- Hispanic20%
- Asian16%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,478
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,047
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19%
- First-generation students
- 18%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $79,694
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $122,499
- Endowment
- $804,637,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,806 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California61%
- Other U.S. states35%
- International4.2%
A regional draw: about 61% of first-years come from California, the rest from elsewhere.
4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 65.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1260–1440
- SAT average
- 1357
- SAT reading
- 630–720
- SAT math
- 630–720
- ACT composite
- 28–31
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.75
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $64,984
- Room & board
- $17,814
- Books & supplies
- $1,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $83,146
- Average net price
- $46,555
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 82%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 71%
- First-year retention
- 92%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $58,080
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $70,070
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Students with federal loans
- 60%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 62%
About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 3,714
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 50%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,646
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,732
- Application fee
- $70
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 714 (412 men · 302 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (9,760 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$33,709/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Chapman University discounts heavily: 87% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $29,786. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,061 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $70,070
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 29%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 71%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $10,369 (16%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 48°F
- Annual rain
- 12.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana Fire Stn, CA US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What Chapman University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Chapman University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Chapman University side by side →
American University
Washington, District of Columbia · Large city · 3 mi to Washington
- Students
- 7,266
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $42k
- SAT
- 1381
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $77k
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York · Large suburb · 21 mi to New York
- Students
- 6,488
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, New York · Large suburb · 6 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 13,215
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1383
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $77k
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado · Large city · 4 mi to Denver
- Students
- 6,025
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1355
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $71k
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio · Midsize city · 2 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 7,682
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1335
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $76k
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey · Large suburb · 13 mi to New York
- Students
- 6,036
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1322
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $70k
Colleges near Chapman University
South Coast College
Orange, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 306 students
Platt College-Anaheim
Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 498 students
Trinity Law School
Santa Ana, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
The Chicago School at Anaheim
Anaheim, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Santa Ana Beauty Academy
Santa Ana, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students
American College of Healthcare and Technology-Santa Ana
Santa Ana, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 51 students
California Career Institute
Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 628 students
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA · Public · Certificate · 22,485 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














