Private nonprofit · University

National University

San Diego, California · Large city

Admit rate
$22,878
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$67,548
Median earnings

National University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in San Diego, California (large city setting), enrolling 10,794 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitMidsize · 10,794 undergradsLarge cityNear the coast

About San Diego, California

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. What has been referred to as the San Dieguito complex was established in the area at least 9,000 years ago. The culture of San Diego is influenced heavily by the mixing of American and Mexican cultures, due to the city's position on the Mexico–United States border, its large Chicano population, and its history as part of Hispanic America and Mexico. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
8 miles to San Diego, CA
To the ocean
8 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub

How National University compares

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 27% · #99 of 122 in California

First-year retention53%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$67,548

Higher than 80% · #57 of 130 in California

Average net price$22,878

Cheaper than 36% · #57 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment10,794

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare National University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

National University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

21,672students
  • Undergraduate10,79450%
  • Graduate10,87850%

Undergraduates by gender

10,794undergrads
  • Women6,85964%
  • Men3,93536%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White29%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic32%
  • Asian7.3%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,794
Graduate enrollment
10,878
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
82%
Median family income
$31,188
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$83,988
Endowment
$916,202,700

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,284
Room & board
Books & supplies
$936
Total cost of attendance
$33,978
Average net price
$22,878

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
17%
First-year retention
53%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$64,331
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$67,548
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
25%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

About 26% 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
17%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
43%

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
No
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 17 campuses (22,115 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.

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
$21,554
$30–48k
$26,583
$48–75k
$25,176
$75–110k
$110k+

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
$123,780

$25,176/year × about 4.9 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.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$67,548
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$62,235
Men
$80,290

Men out-earn women by $18,055 (29%) 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
82°F
Winter low
45°F
Annual rain
11″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Diego Montgomery Fld, CA US station (1.2 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 National University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare National University side by side →

Colleges near National 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.