Ashford University

San Diego, California

Private For-Profit City: Large

Ashford University is a private for-profit institution in San Diego, California enrolling 20,152 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.. Graduates earn a median of $35,404 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $31,266. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Ashford University

Ashford University operates as a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California (city: large), with a total reported enrollment of 20,152 students of which 36,770 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Ashford University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. Admission rate data is not currently reported for this institution. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $31,266, with published in-state tuition of $11,960 and a Pell grant recipient share of 32.1%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $31,250, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 9.7%, and the first-year retention rate is 34.7%. Graduates earn a median of $35,404 ten years after enrolling, compared with $33,397 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 8027600.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 57.4% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.

Quick Facts

20,152
Total enrollment
Acceptance rate
SAT average
9.7%
4-yr graduation rate
$35,404
10-yr median earnings
34.7%
First-year retention

Costs & Financial Aid

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $11,960
Out-of-State Tuition $11,960
Average Net Price $31,266

Net Price by Family Income

$0 – $30,000 $31,009
$30,001 – $48,000 $31,862
$48,001 – $75,000 $33,319
Over $110,000 $33,593
32.1%
Pell Grant Rate
33.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$31,250
Median Debt
$331/mo
Monthly Payment

Student Demographics

White 37.0%
African American 29.4%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.8%
Pacific Islander 1.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 4.7%
International 0.2%
78.0%
Female
54.3%
First Generation

Outcomes

9.7%
4-Year Completion Rate
34.7%
Retention Rate
$33,397
Median Earnings (6yr)
$35,404
Median Earnings (10yr)
57.4%
Earning Over $25K
8027600.0%
Loan Repayment (3yr)

Programs & Earnings

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Management Information Systems and Services Master's 75 $90,671
Accounting and Related Services Master's 45 $83,019 $44,321
International Business Bachelor's 15 $81,292 $26,497
Military Applied Sciences Associate's 11 $79,860
Management Information Systems and Services Bachelor's 94 $77,907 $37,741
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 1,054 $77,414 $41,000
Human Resources Management and Services Doctoral 23 $72,769 $20,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations Doctoral 9 $72,039 $17,270
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 1,934 $71,782 $34,370
Sociology Master's 5 $70,179
Educational/Instructional Media Design Bachelor's 25 $68,414 $28,109
Public Administration Bachelor's 13 $68,344 $33,349
Health and Medical Administrative Services Master's 261 $66,886 $41,000
Marketing Bachelor's 78 $66,307 $37,625
Business/Managerial Economics Bachelor's 17 $65,737 $38,365
Human Resources Management and Services Bachelor's 335 $65,002 $36,139
Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's 127 $64,426 $29,813
Public Administration Master's 11 $63,856 $41,000
Communication and Media Studies Bachelor's 71 $61,909 $33,341
Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's 145 $61,522 $32,813
Sustainability Studies Bachelor's $61,516
Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's 468 $60,144 $31,380
Human Resources Management and Services Master's 172 $58,822 $41,721
Real Estate Bachelor's 57 $58,733 $32,803
Criminal Justice and Corrections Master's 100 $57,836 $41,000
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services Bachelor's 16 $56,666 $30,073
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Master's 5 $56,444 $38,554
Military Applied Sciences Bachelor's 3 $56,415
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Bachelor's 12 $55,689 $34,500
Natural Resources Conservation and Research Bachelor's 33 $55,435 $41,000
Political Science and Government Bachelor's 34 $54,740 $27,172
Health and Medical Administrative Services Bachelor's 520 $53,801 $33,541
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 31 $51,665 $35,500
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Bachelor's 49 $51,307 $22,685
Special Education and Teaching Master's 82 $51,086 $38,452
Sociology Bachelor's 104 $51,004 $28,693
Psychology, General Master's 323 $50,601 $41,000
Gerontology Bachelor's 12 $49,843 $28,750
History Bachelor's 51 $49,773 $32,938
Education, General Master's 190 $49,645 $41,000
Social Sciences, General Bachelor's 21 $48,970 $32,813
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions Bachelor's 97 $48,922 $33,129
Human Services, General Master's 97 $48,476 $30,750
Psychology, General Bachelor's 490 $48,325 $32,813
Educational Administration and Supervision Master's 144 $48,181 $37,528
Education, General Bachelor's 125 $47,107 $30,599
English Language and Literature, General Bachelor's 39 $47,071 $29,781
Behavioral Sciences Bachelor's 176 $45,157 $40,083
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies Bachelor's 11 $45,128
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Bachelor's 85 $44,852 $27,470
Journalism Bachelor's 59 $44,589 $36,807
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Bachelor's 17 $44,242 $30,742
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems Bachelor's 146 $44,036 $31,375
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Bachelor's 660 $43,748 $31,000
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Bachelor's 58 $43,140 $34,478
Anthropology Bachelor's 16 $41,266 $26,258
Library Science and Administration Bachelor's 35 $38,786 $25,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Associate's 201 $36,261 $24,750
Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate's $32,245
Computer Software and Media Applications Bachelor's 7 $25,967
Design and Applied Arts Bachelor's $25,967
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Bachelor's $25,194
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language Bachelor's 10 $23,456 $30,239

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the admissions statistics for Ashford University?
Ashford University is a private for-profit institution in San Diego, California. Total enrollment is 20,152 students.
How much do Ashford University graduates earn?
Graduates of Ashford University earn a median of $35,404 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $33,397.
How much does Ashford University cost?
The average net price at Ashford University is $31,266. In-state tuition is $11,960 and out-of-state tuition is $11,960. Median student debt at graduation is $31,250.
What is the graduation rate at Ashford University?
Ashford University has a 4-year completion rate of 9.7%. The first-year retention rate is 34.7%.
Is Ashford University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Ashford University is $31,250, while graduates earn a median of $35,404 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 88% of first-year post-graduation earnings. 8027600.0% of borrowers are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $331.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024-25 academic year. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Primary: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. Data reflects most recent available year.

Institutional characteristics: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) institutional characteristics file.

Earnings: Median earnings 6 and 10 years after enrollment, from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid data.

Program data: Credential-level earnings from the College Scorecard Field of Study dataset.

All federal data sources used on this page

Earnings data sourced from IRS records via the U.S. Treasury–Department of Education matching used by the College Scorecard.