Private nonprofit · University

Soka University of America

Aliso Viejo, California · Large suburb

43.4%
Admit rate
$18,260
Avg net price
92%
Graduation rate
$55,017
Median earnings

Soka University of America is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Aliso Viejo, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 484 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 484 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 43% admitNAIA Division IINear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Soka University of America's admitted students.

Admit rate
43.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1333–1510
Avg GPA (est.)
3.95

Enter a test score to see where you land against Soka University of America's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Soka University of America's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Aliso Viejo, California

Aliso Viejo is a city in the San Joaquin Hills of southern Orange County, California. The people established numerous villages along Aliso Creek as well dividing the Acjachemen and the Tongva. With the arrival of settlers, the Acjachemen village sites would later become the southern areas of the Moulton Ranch. The Aliso Viejo Library, a branch of the Orange County Public Library system, opened on January 31, 1998 and was closed for tenant improvements on April 15, 2024. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How Soka University of America compares

Selectivity43.4%

More selective than 87% · #28 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1440

Higher than 93%

Graduation rate92%

Higher than 96% · #14 of 122 in California

First-year retention90%

Higher than 86%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,017

Higher than 53% · #98 of 130 in California

Average net price$18,260

Cheaper than 58% · #43 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$15,650

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio7 : 1

Lower than 92%

Undergraduate enrollment484

Larger than 21%

Percentiles compare Soka University of America 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

495students
  • Undergraduate48498%
  • Graduate112%

Undergraduates by gender

484undergrads
  • Women35974%
  • Men12526%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White12%
  • Black1.5%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian9.9%
  • Other or multiracial63%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
484
Graduate enrollment
11
Student–faculty ratio
7 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$44,001
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$119,817
Endowment
$1,523,965,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
43.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1333–1510
SAT average
1440
SAT reading
620–720
SAT math
713–790
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.95

Cost

In-state tuition
$38,728
Room & board
$14,378
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$55,064
Average net price
$18,260

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)
92%
Graduated on time (4 years)
79%
First-year retention
90%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,696
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,017
Median debt at graduation
$15,650
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
76%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
572
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Application fee
$45
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
152 (78 men · 74 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 (7)

Soccer47
Track and Field (Indoor)23
Track and Field (Outdoor)23
Cross Country18
Swimming16
Golf13
Volleyball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (495 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Rape
0.3

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
$12,020
$30–48k
$10,619
$48–75k
$12,049
$75–110k
$12,724
$110k+
$30,940

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
$50,702

$12,049/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$32,579
average award, among those who get one

Soka University of America discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $32,579. 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 129 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)
$55,017
Typical debt at graduation
$15,650
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
12.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.73.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Laguna Beach, CA US station (2.7 mi from campus).

What Soka University of America 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 Soka University of America

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

Colleges near Soka University of America

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.