Private nonprofit · University

University of San Diego

San Diego, California · Large city

52.4%
Admit rate
$30,365
Avg net price
84%
Graduation rate
$86,522
Median earnings

University of San Diego is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in San Diego, California (large city setting), enrolling 5,671 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 5,671 undergradsLarge citySelective · 52% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Pioneer Football LeagueNear 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
4 miles to San Diego, CA
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub

How University of San Diego compares

Selectivity52.4%

More selective than 83% · #36 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate84%

Higher than 92% · #23 of 122 in California

First-year retention91%

Higher than 88%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$86,522

Higher than 94% · #22 of 130 in California

Average net price$30,365

Cheaper than 15% · #75 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$22,940

Lower than 54%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment5,671

Larger than 80%

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

University of San Diego campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

9,534students
  • Undergraduate5,67159%
  • Graduate3,86341%

Undergraduates by gender

5,671undergrads
  • Women3,24957%
  • Men2,42243%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White43%
  • Black4.8%
  • Hispanic28%
  • Asian7.0%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,671
Graduate enrollment
3,863
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$70,085
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$118,809
Endowment
$714,021,000

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 1,245 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California51%
  • Other U.S. states45%
  • International3.9%

A regional draw: about 51% 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
52.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
4.02

Cost

In-state tuition
$59,486
Room & board
$19,918
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$78,720
Average net price
$30,365

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)
84%
Graduated on time (4 years)
69%
First-year retention
91%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$64,995
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$86,522
Median debt at graduation
$22,940
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
75%

About 14% 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
69%
Low-income (Pell)
79%
First-generation
78%

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
3,064
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Application fee
$55
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Pioneer Football League
Varsity athletes
499 (252 men · 247 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 (12)

Rowing100
Football99
Soccer68
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)51
Baseball38
Basketball37
Swimming and Diving (combined)32
Softball23
Volleyball18
Tennis16
Golf9
Cross Country8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
29
Property offenses (2022–2024)
99

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (9,714 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.

43reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year33 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
17
Burglary
15
Rape
4.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
2.0
Arson
1.0

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
$15,586
$30–48k
$17,441
$48–75k
$19,557
$75–110k
$27,012
$110k+
$46,989

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
$83,284

$19,557/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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,067
average award, among those who get one

University of San Diego discounts heavily: 84% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,067. 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 1,234 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)
$86,522
Typical debt at graduation
$22,940
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
78%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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
$83,065
Men
$90,155

Men out-earn women by $7,090 (9%) 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
74°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
10.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Diego Seaworld, CA US station (2.3 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 University of San Diego

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

Colleges near University of San Diego

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.