Private nonprofit · University

Vanguard University of Southern California

Costa Mesa, California · Midsize city

62.4%
Admit rate
$21,241
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$59,541
Median earnings

Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Costa Mesa, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,933 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Assemblies of God Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,933 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 62% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

About Costa Mesa, California

Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Members of the Tongva and Acjachemen nations long inhabited the area. The Tongva villages of Lupukngna, at least 3,000 years old, and the shared Tongva and Acjachemen village of Genga, at least 9,500 years old, were located in the area on the bluffs along the Santa Ana River. The Orange County Fair takes place at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa each July. The Fair receives more than one million visitors each year. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
4 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How Vanguard University of Southern California compares

Selectivity62.4%

More selective than 74% · #40 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 54% · #78 of 122 in California

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,541

Higher than 67% · #81 of 130 in California

Average net price$21,241

Cheaper than 44% · #49 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$22,000

Lower than 59%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,933

Larger than 56%

Percentiles compare Vanguard University of Southern California 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

2,219students
  • Undergraduate1,93387%
  • Graduate28613%

Undergraduates by gender

1,933undergrads
  • Women1,27766%
  • Men65634%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White31%
  • Black5.2%
  • Hispanic47%
  • Asian3.9%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,933
Graduate enrollment
286
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
44%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$42,880
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,446
Endowment
$18,260,080

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 500 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California90%
  • Other U.S. states9.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Vanguard University of Southern California draws overwhelmingly from California.

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
62.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$41,700
Room & board
$13,450
Books & supplies
$1,060
Total cost of attendance
$52,665
Average net price
$21,241

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
52%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,464
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,541
Median debt at graduation
$22,000
Students with federal loans
57%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
52%
Low-income (Pell)
14%
First-generation
13%

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
1,020
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
53%
Housing charge (year)
$7,476
Meal plan (year)
$5,930
Application fee
$45
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
434 (182 men · 252 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 (10)

Soccer67
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)64
Wrestling50
Other Sports50
Volleyball49
Baseball46
Basketball40
Softball28
Golf24
Beach Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,246 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.

4.3reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
2.3
Burglary
2.0

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
$17,225
$30–48k
$18,462
$48–75k
$18,976
$75–110k
$24,117
$110k+
$27,684

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
$78,531

$18,976/year × about 4.1 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
$22,127
average award, among those who get one

Vanguard University of Southern California discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,127. 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 539 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)
$59,541
Typical debt at graduation
$22,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

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
$57,561
Men
$62,519

Men out-earn women by $4,958 (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
80°F
Winter low
48°F
Annual rain
11.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana John Wayne AP, 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 Vanguard University of Southern California

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

Colleges near Vanguard University of Southern California

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.