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.
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
More selective than 83% · #36 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 92% · #23 of 122 in California
Higher than 88%
Higher than 94% · #22 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 15% · #75 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 54%
Lower than 50%
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
- Undergraduate5,67159%
- Graduate3,86341%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Diego Seaworld, CA US station (2.3 mi from campus).
What University of San Diego 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 University of San Diego
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of San Diego side by side →
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia · Large city · 1 mi to Washington
- Students
- 11,182
- Admission
- 47%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1433
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $91k
Marist University
Poughkeepsie, New York · Large suburb · 59 mi to New Haven
- Students
- 5,182
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $42k
- SAT
- 1295
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $78k
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California · Large city · 2 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 5,287
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1295
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $90k
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York · Midsize city · 2 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 6,331
- Admission
- 40%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1488
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $79k
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · 2 mi to Providence
- Students
- 4,229
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $49k
- SAT
- 1346
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $87k
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · < 1 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 2,654
- Admission
- 59%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $89k
Colleges near University of San Diego
Franciscan School of Theology
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
United States University
Sandy Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 153 students
Pacific College of Health and Science
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 143 students
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, CA · Public · Associate · 16,098 students
High Tech High Graduate School of Education
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
ICOHS College
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 171 students
California Western School of Law
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
The Chicago School at San Diego
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2 students
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.













