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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 7,478 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 65% admitNCAA Division III with football · Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

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
To the ocean
13 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How Chapman University compares

Selectivity65.4%

More selective than 70% · #43 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1357

Higher than 86%

Graduation rate82%

Higher than 90% · #28 of 122 in California

First-year retention92%

Higher than 88%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$70,070

Higher than 83% · #50 of 130 in California

Average net price$46,555

Cheaper than 2% · #109 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment7,478

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

9,525students
  • Undergraduate7,47879%
  • Graduate2,04721%

Undergraduates by gender

7,478undergrads
  • 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)

All students
71%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
75%

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)

Football110
Track and Field (Indoor)92
Track and Field (Outdoor)92
Swimming and Diving (combined)82
Soccer67
Water Polo53
Baseball36
Basketball36
Softball30
Tennis30
Cross Country28
Volleyball22
Lacrosse21
Golf15

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.

20reported offenses a year
10 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
4.7
Fondling
4.0
Rape
3.7
Aggravated assault
2.3
Arson
0.7

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.

< $30k
$33,559
$30–48k
$33,978
$48–75k
$33,709
$75–110k
$40,011
$110k+
$55,066

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.

Est. total to a degree
$141,450

$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.

87%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$29,786
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$66,506
Men
$76,875

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

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana Fire Stn, CA US station (3.5 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Chapman University

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.