10-yr median earnings
$86,522
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · San Diego, California
University of San Diego
University of San Diego is a private nonprofit institution in San Diego, California. Graduates earn a median of $86,522 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $30,365/yr.
- $86,522
- 10-yr median earnings
- $30,365
- Avg net price / yr
- 52.4%
- Acceptance rate
- 82.7%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
University of San Diego pairs top-5% graduate earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 2%
- graduate earnings, US
- 52.4%
- acceptance rate
- 82.7%
- 4-yr completion
- +33%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: R2
University of San Diego is a private nonprofit institution in San Diego, California enrolling 5,671 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 52.4%. Graduates earn a median of $86,522 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 $30,365. 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 University of San Diego
University of San Diego operates as a private nonprofit institution located in San Diego, California (city: large), with a total reported enrollment of 5,671 students of which 6,263 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; University of San Diego is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity" 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
60/100
University of San Diego
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 A+
$86,522
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price F
$30,365
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$22,940
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
84.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A
91.4%
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
$30,365
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
82.7%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 82.7%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - University of San Diego 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 University of San Diego 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.
University of San Diego: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$86,522 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
5,671
Total enrollment
52.4%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
82.7%
4-yr graduation rate
$86,522
10-yr median earnings
91.4%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 52.4% |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $59,486 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $59,486 |
| Average Net Price | $30,365 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $15,586 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $17,441 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $19,557 |
| Over $110,000 | $46,989 |
20.9%
Pell Grant Rate
32.4%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,940
Median Debt
$243/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
57.3%
Female
24.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
82.7%
4-Year Completion Rate
91.4%
Retention Rate
$64,995
Median Earnings (6yr)
$86,522
Median Earnings (10yr)
81.3%
Earning Over $25K
84.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at University of San Diego by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$178,950 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$163,311 median earnings
- Real Estate
Real Estate
$155,948 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$149,847 median earnings
- Legal Research and Advance…
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
$148,235 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$148,025 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$145,372 median earnings
- Computer/Information Techn…
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
$141,878 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
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 University of San Diego? ▼
University of San Diego is a private nonprofit institution in San Diego, California. The acceptance rate is 52.4%. Total enrollment is 5,671 students.
How much do University of San Diego graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of University of San Diego earn a median of $86,522 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $64,995.
How much does University of San Diego cost? ▼
The average net price at University of San Diego is $30,365. In-state tuition is $59,486 and out-of-state tuition is $59,486. Median student debt at graduation is $22,940.
What is the graduation rate at University of San Diego? ▼
University of San Diego has a 4-year completion rate of 82.7%. The first-year retention rate is 91.4%.
Is University of San Diego worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of San Diego is $22,940, while graduates earn a median of $86,522 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 27% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 84.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $243.
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 University of San Diego
- University of San Diego's graduates land in the 2nd percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $30,365 - 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.