Chapman University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Chapman University

Chapman University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Orange, California (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 7,478 students of which 8,182 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. Chapman University is categorized as “16” 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. The reported admission rate is 65.4%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,357 and an ACT midpoint of 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $46,555, with published in-state tuition of $64,984 and a Pell grant recipient share of 19.4%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $20,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 81.1%, and the first-year retention rate is 91.8%. Graduates earn a median of $70,070 ten years after enrolling, compared with $58,080 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 242300.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 72.6% 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.