10-yr median earnings
$55,017
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Aliso Viejo, California
Soka University of America
Soka University of America is a private nonprofit institution in Aliso Viejo, California. Graduates earn a median of $55,017 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $18,260/yr.
- $55,017
- 10-yr median earnings
- $18,260
- Avg net price / yr
- 43.4%
- Acceptance rate
- 89.4%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
Soka University of America pairs above-median graduate earnings with a selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 34%
- graduate earnings, US
- 43.4%
- acceptance rate
- 89.4%
- 4-yr completion
- +29%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Soka University of America is a private nonprofit institution in Aliso Viejo, California enrolling 484 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 43.4% with an average SAT of 1,440. Graduates earn a median of $55,017 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 $18,260. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Soka University of America
Soka University of America operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Aliso Viejo, California (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 484 students of which 488 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; Soka University of America is categorized as "Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
62/100
Soka University of America
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$55,017
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price D
$18,260
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt D
$15,650
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment N/A
N/A
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A-
90.5%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$18,260
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
89.4%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 89.4%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - Soka University of America vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How Soka University of America ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Soka University of America: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$55,017 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
484
Total enrollment
43.4%
Acceptance rate
1,440
SAT average
89.4%
4-yr graduation rate
$55,017
10-yr median earnings
90.5%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 43.4% |
| SAT Average | 1,440 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 713 – 790 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 620 – 720 |
| ACT Average | 26 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $38,728 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $38,728 |
| Average Net Price | $18,260 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $12,020 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $10,619 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $12,049 |
| Over $110,000 | $30,940 |
20.4%
Pell Grant Rate
37.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$15,650
Median Debt
$166/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
74.2%
Female
Outcomes
89.4%
4-Year Completion Rate
90.5%
Retention Rate
$42,696
Median Earnings (6yr)
$55,017
Median Earnings (10yr)
Programs & Earnings
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's | 97 | $52,896 | $18,750 |
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other private nonprofit institutions in California
University of the People
Pasadena, CA
22,688 students
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
20,443 students Earn $92,498 9.8% admit
National University
San Diego, CA
10,794 students Earn $67,548
California Baptist University
Riverside, CA
8,179 students Earn $61,504 84.9% admit
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
7,554 students Earn $124,080 3.6% admit
Chapman University
Orange, CA
7,478 students Earn $70,070 65.4% admit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Soka University of America? ▼
Soka University of America is a private nonprofit institution in Aliso Viejo, California. The acceptance rate is 43.4%. The average SAT score is 1,440. Total enrollment is 484 students.
How much do Soka University of America graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of Soka University of America earn a median of $55,017 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $42,696.
How much does Soka University of America cost? ▼
The average net price at Soka University of America is $18,260. In-state tuition is $38,728 and out-of-state tuition is $38,728. Median student debt at graduation is $15,650.
What is the graduation rate at Soka University of America? ▼
Soka University of America has a 4-year completion rate of 89.4%. The first-year retention rate is 90.5%.
Is Soka University of America worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Soka University of America is $15,650, while graduates earn a median of $55,017 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 28% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Estimated monthly loan payment is $166.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for Soka University of America
- Soka University of America's graduates land in the 34th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $18,260 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in California.Browse California
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.