Private nonprofit · University

Simpson University

Redding, California · Small city

86.0%
Admit rate
$27,817
Avg net price
49%
Graduation rate
$54,340
Median earnings

Simpson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Redding, California (small city setting), enrolling 809 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Christ and Missionary Alliance Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 809 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 86% admitNAIA Division II · Frontier Conference

About Redding, California

Redding is a city in and the county seat of Shasta County, California, United States, and the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Although Europeans had been to California as early as 1542, when Juan Cabrillo sailed to what is now San Diego Bay, indigenous natives long remained the only inhabitants of the Northern California region. The Redding Metropolitan Statistical Area was recognized as the 29th Most Dynamic MSA in the United States in 2019 by the Walton Family Foundation. Redding was recognized for having a diversified economy with several large employers in different sectors. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
93 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Redding (RDD)

How Simpson University compares

Selectivity86.0%

More selective than 33% · #70 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 37% · #96 of 122 in California

First-year retention60%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,340

Higher than 51% · #99 of 130 in California

Average net price$27,817

Cheaper than 21% · #65 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$18,750

Lower than 81%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment809

Larger than 31%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

981students
  • Undergraduate80982%
  • Graduate17218%

Undergraduates by gender

809undergrads
  • Women56970%
  • Men24030%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White45%
  • Black4.5%
  • Hispanic29%
  • Asian4.7%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
809
Graduate enrollment
172
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
44%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
29%
Median family income
$34,920
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,536
Endowment
$7,374,442

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 145 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California75%
  • Other U.S. states24%
  • International1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Simpson University draws overwhelmingly from California.

1% 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
86.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$39,708
Room & board
$11,900
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$54,688
Average net price
$27,817

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)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
60%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,256
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,340
Median debt at graduation
$18,750
Students with federal loans
63%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 8% 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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
61%

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
450
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
56%
Housing charge (year)
$6,300
Meal plan (year)
$5,600
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Frontier Conference
Varsity athletes
524 (325 men · 199 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 (13)

Football108
Baseball68
Soccer65
Wrestling57
Basketball49
Softball37
Volleyball35
Other Sports34
Golf24
Track and Field (Outdoor)18
Cross Country10
Beach Volleyball10
Swimming9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (992 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.

2.3reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
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
$25,511
$30–48k
$22,738
$48–75k
$28,479
$75–110k
$29,656
$110k+
$30,163

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
$121,036

$28,479/year × about 4.3 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,634
average award, among those who get one

Simpson University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,634. 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 110 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)
$54,340
Typical debt at graduation
$18,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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
$51,759
Men
$60,554

Men out-earn women by $8,795 (17%) 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
100°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
33.5″
Annual snow
2.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Redding Muni AP, CA US station (6.9 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 Simpson University

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

Colleges near Simpson 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.