10-yr median earnings
$59,541
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Costa Mesa, California
Vanguard University of Southern California
Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit institution in Costa Mesa, California. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $59,541
- 10-yr median earnings
- 62.4%
- Acceptance rate
- $21,241
- Avg net price / yr
- 56.3%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Vanguard University of Southern California pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 16%
- former-student earnings, US
- 62.4%
- acceptance rate
- 56.3%
- 150%-time completion
- +37%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Master's (M)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Vanguard University of Southern California profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C-
College Value Score
52/100
Vanguard University of Southern California
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-
$59,541
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$21,241
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
56.3%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$22,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B
70.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
70.1%
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
$21,241
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
56.3%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 56.3%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Vanguard University of Southern California vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Vanguard University of Southern California ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Vanguard University of Southern California: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$59,541 Top 16% higher than 84% 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 · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Vanguard University of Southern California | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $59,541 | #817 of 5103 | 84th |
| Average net price | $21,241 | #3322 of 5020 | 34th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 56.3% | #2489 of 4858 | 49th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,933 | #1510 of 5462 | 72nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,933
Undergraduate enrollment
62.4%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
56.3%
150%-time completion
$59,541
10-yr median earnings
70.1%
First-year retention
How Vanguard University of Southern California ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Vanguard University of Southern California | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $59,541 | #112 of 493 | 77th |
| Average net price | $21,241 | #256 of 495 | 48th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 56.3% | #293 of 483 | 39th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,933 | #182 of 553 | 67th |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 112 | Vanguard University of Southern CaliforniaThis school | $59,541 | $21,241 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 62.4% |
| ACT Average | 22 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$17,225 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$18,462 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$18,976 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$27,684 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Vanguard University of Southern California - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $41,700 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $41,700 |
| Average Net Price | $21,241 |
43.8%
Pell Grant Rate
56.8%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,000
Median Debt
$233/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Vanguard University of Southern California swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $19,761 to $27,947 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -12.1%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$19,761
Highest year
$27,947
Most recent (2023)
$19,761
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $22,4912023 · $19,761
Over the same years, enrollment went -4.0% (2,057 → 1,975 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
66.1%
Female
35.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
70.1%
Retention Rate
$43,464
Median Earnings (6yr)
63.8%
Earning Over $25K
70.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 56.3% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 70.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $43,464 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $59,541 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 63.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 70.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $22,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $233/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 10 | 312 | $70,926 | $102,239 | $20,399 |
| Master's | 4 | 120 | $75,686 | $75,686 | - |
Top programs at Vanguard University of Southern California by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$102,239 median earnings
- Clinical, Counseling and A…
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
$75,686 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$62,957 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$47,582 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.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's | 62 | $102,239 | $18,930 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's | 61 | $75,686 | - |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 53 | $62,957 | $26,000 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 69 | $47,582 | $16,266 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 39 | - | - |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Bachelor's | - | - | - |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's | 24 | - | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 43 | - | - |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries | Bachelor's | 0 | - | - |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries | Master's | 8 | - | - |
| Sociology | Bachelor's | 15 | - | - |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's | 20 | - | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's | 27 | - | - |
| Marketing | Bachelor's | 11 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Vanguard University of Southern California? ▼
Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit institution in Costa Mesa, California. The acceptance rate is 62.4%. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,933 students.
How much do Vanguard University of Southern California former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Vanguard University of Southern California who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $59,541 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $43,464.
How much does Vanguard University of Southern California cost? ▼
The average net price at Vanguard University of Southern California is $21,241. In-state tuition is $41,700 and out-of-state tuition is $41,700. Median student debt at graduation is $22,000.
What is the graduation rate at Vanguard University of Southern California? ▼
Vanguard University of Southern California has a 56.3% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 70.1%.
Is Vanguard University of Southern California worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Vanguard University of Southern California is $22,000, while former students earn a median of $59,541 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 70.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $233.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student 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).
Where to go next from Vanguard University of Southern California
- Compare Vanguard University of Southern California against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
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. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.