College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of San Diego

CAMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #437 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks the University of San Diego #437 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of San Diego is a private nonprofit university in San Diego, California, where Business degrees account for more than two-fifths of the graduating class. Return is well above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes most of that to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — rather than to what it cannot explain.

The typical graduate also earns above the median at comparable institutions. Affordability is below the levels seen at many peers, and the spread between what the lowest and highest income bands pay is wide.

Yet Pell students complete within a few points of the overall rate, and mobility is well above average. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and the degree mix leans heavily toward business fields.

A student drawn to the social sciences should know that the largest departments are not the best-paid ones.

University of San Diego at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
52.4%
Six-year completion[2]
83.7%
Four-year earnings[3]
$85,309

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$19,557
Median student debt[4]
$22,940
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$56,559

University of San Diego rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

San Diego, California, is home to University of San Diego, a private nonprofit university enrolling 5,671 undergraduates. Its standing sits above the midpoint among nonprofit four-year institutions (composite at the 70th percentile).

University of San Diego accepts 52.4% of applicants, against a peer median of 71.2% — the middle value for comparable institutions of the same type and size. For the full-time first-year cohort, 91.4% return for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate is 83.7%, against a comparable median of 68.8%. Because an estimated 24.0% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, that graduation figure tracks only those who began here full time.

The four dimensions diverge widely. Return is the strongest (at the 89th percentile) and affordability the weakest (at the 12th percentile).

Mobility and access sit between them (at the 75th and 58th percentiles), so the return and affordability pillars pull in opposite directions.

The four pillars at University of San Diego pull in different directions. Return is the strongest, at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Affordability is the weakest, at the 12th percentile. Mobility and access fall between them, at the 75th and 58th percentiles.

20.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the federal aid program used in this framework as the principal measure of financial access at this institution. Azimuth ranks University of San Diego #614 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Access measures how many lower-income students enroll and whether they finish. The pillar combines the Pell share with completion among those same students.

Pell recipients finish at 81.1%, a rate that is 2.6 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (83.7%). Azimuth ranks the university #365 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Mobility asks whether graduates out-earn what the model expects for students like them. Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students, the earnings side of the mobility pillar calculation.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of San Diego rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#437
California#48
West#83

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 75
Access & reach
National percentile: 58
Affordability
National percentile: 12
Return on investment
National percentile: 89

Top-ranked majors

  1. Psychology, General#8
  2. Real Estate#8
  3. Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology#9

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of San Diego briefing

University of San Diego cost & financial aid[6][7]

University of San Diego publishes a cost of attendance of $78,720, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $59,486, and room and board are $19,918.

For the average aid recipient, the net price — what students pay after grants and scholarships — falls to $30,365, a savings of $48,355 against the sticker total. That sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,994.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,249 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lowest-income band (families earning under $30,000) sees an average net price of $15,586, which is well below the sticker price and also below the peer median.

Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average recipient, a pattern that reflects the university's position as a private institution with a high published cost.

University of San Diego publishes a cost of attendance of $78,720, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $59,486, and room and board is $19,918.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $15,586 for families earning under $30,000, $17,441 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $19,557 for $48,001–$75,000, $27,012 for $75,001–$110,000, and $46,989 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $31,403.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,249 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $48,355 against the sticker price.

The average net price for first-time full-time aid recipients is $30,365, which sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,994. Its net prices run above the peer median.

Affordability is its weakest pillar. The median federal student debt at completion is $22,940.

About 91.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions by $1,259.

For a graduate at the median four-year earnings of $85,309, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS carry a separate median of $56,559.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$19,557

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of San Diego

Federal borrowing is common at the University of San Diego: 91.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $22,940.

That median sits below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,259. A separate population, parent borrowers, carries a median Parent PLUS loan of $56,559.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 40% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $27,398 per borrower. Separately, 39% of graduates held federal loans averaging $20,756, including some who also held private loans. A smaller group, 5% of graduates, held private loans averaging $52,350.

The investment picture at University of San Diego is shaped by earnings that run well above the peer median and debt that sits below it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $85,309.

That places the university at the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 84th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $56,920 in a downside case to $101,233 in an upside case, with $85,309 as the typical scenario.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $22,940. That is $1,259 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions.

If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $56,559. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,940
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$56,559

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$261/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$719/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of San Diego briefing

University of San Diego career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

University of San Diego delivers strong earnings outcomes for graduates. The return pillar sits in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Four years after completion, graduates earn a median of $85,309, in the 93rd percentile. That figure is above the peer median of $68,250 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $17,059.

Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 84th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,055.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $557. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,411.

A median that clears the peer benchmark combined with earnings that outpace the model's expectation points to a strong return for graduates of this private nonprofit university.

The earnings picture at University of San Diego is strong across the board. Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $85,309, drawn from a cohort of 1,409.

That places the university in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students.

The result sits at the 84th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix put the typical figure at $85,309, with a downside scenario of $56,920 and an upside scenario of $101,233.

An estimated 31.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completion, University of San Diego graduates earn a median of $85,309, a figure that sits in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is above the peer median of $68,250, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $17,059.

Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 84th percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,055.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $557. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,411.

Azimuth ranks the university #160 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix span from a downside of $56,920 to an upside of $101,233.

The largest program, Finance, awarded 204 degrees and shows median earnings of $93,099 four years after completion, ranking #42 nationally in its field. Psychology is the high-return program: its median earnings of $74,178 are 1.46x the national median for the field, and Azimuth ranks it #8 nationally.

Accounting, with 62 degrees awarded, shows median earnings of $109,142 and ranks #22 nationally, while Computer Science, with 29 degrees awarded, leads all programs with median earnings of $149,847.

Earnings at the university vary widely by program. The earnings scenarios four years after completion run from a downside of $56,920 through a typical outcome of $85,309 up to an upside of $101,233, a wide band that reflects differing fields.

The upper half of that band is anchored by business and technical fields. Computer Science completers show $149,847, while Electrical Engineering and Accounting record $110,314 and $109,142.

An estimated 31.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Graduates of University of San Diego earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree is $22,940, which runs below the median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $30,365, which is above the median for comparable institutions of $27,371.

Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $56,559. The return picture is strong, but the cost side is mixed: the net price sits above the peer median while the affordability pillar ranks in the 12th percentile nationally.

The earnings advantage and the below-peer debt are the stronger half of the equation.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,055
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$557
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$10,612

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of San Diego briefing

University of San Diego acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of San Diego admitted 52.4% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 17,010 applicants and 8,909 admitted students.

Admissions
Admission rate
52.4%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of San Diego briefing

What are the largest majors at University of San Diego?[12]

The University of San Diego's program mix tilts heavily toward business, which accounts for 41.1% of degrees awarded, yet the strongest earnings and ranks span several fields. Accounting shows a median of $109,142 four years after completion with 62 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #22 in its field.

Computer Science leads in earnings at $149,847, though it awarded only 29 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs, Finance—the program with the most degrees awarded, 204—shows a median of $93,099 and ranks #42 nationally.

Psychology earns $74,178 with 123 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth rank of #8. The spread between a high-earning technical field like Computer Science and a large social-science program like Psychology shows the earnings range across fields.

At a university where business and engineering coexist with highly ranked liberal-arts programs, the range of outcomes is wide.

The University of San Diego publishes earnings data for 20 bachelor's programs, 19 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Finance, awarded 204 degrees and its completers earn a median of $93,099 four years after completion.

It ranks #42 nationally and #3 in California. Several programs sit inside the top fifty nationally.

Psychology ranks #8 with 123 degrees awarded and a median of $74,178. Real Estate ranks #8 with 107 degrees awarded and a median of $78,044.

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology awarded 26 degrees, ranks #9 nationally, and has a median of $83,380. English Language and Literature rounds out the top-fifty group, ranking #14 nationally with 25 degrees awarded and a median of $68,752.

Business is the dominant program family at University of San Diego, accounting for 41.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences and Social Sciences following at 11.3% and 10.4%. The university has 19 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 20 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Finance, at 204 degrees awarded, followed by Business Administration and Management at 166 and Psychology at 123. The highest-ranked program is Psychology, which Azimuth places #2 in California within its field, with median earnings of $74,178 four years after completion.

Real Estate ranks #8 nationally within its field and #2 in California, with 107 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Computer Science graduates earn a median of $149,847 four years after completion, from 29 degrees awarded a year.

Psychology carries a benchmark ratio of 1.46x against the national median for its field. The pattern is one of strength concentrated in business and a handful of high-performing programs outside it.

Finance, the largest program, earns $93,099 and ranks #42 nationally within its field, while Accounting earns $109,142 and ranks #22 nationally within its field. The best-paid programs are not the largest.

The highest-ranked programs span both high-earning fields like Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology and fields where four-year earnings may understate later trajectories for graduates who continue to graduate study. Across all fields, 24.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Finance and Financial Management Services 204 degrees awarded
$93,099
Business Administration, Management and Operations 166 degrees awarded
$79,678
Psychology, General 123 degrees awarded
$74,178
Marketing 116 degrees awarded
$83,562
Real Estate 107 degrees awarded
$78,044
Neurobiology and Neurosciences 100 degrees awarded
$72,910

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of San Diego briefing

How does University of San Diego serve students from different backgrounds?

Graduates earn about $10,612 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the university in the 84th percentile for earnings beyond expectations—the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 83.7%, and Pell recipients complete at a rate of 81.1%, which sits below the overall rate by 2.6 percentage points.

The University of San Diego enrolls 5,671 undergraduates and admits 52.4% of applicants, a rate well below the median for comparable institutions, which is 71.2%. Pell Grant recipients make up 20.9% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 24.0% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

06 / University of San Diego briefing

What colleges are similar to University of San Diego?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of San Diego.

Admissions peerCalifornia State University-Long Beach46.3% admitted
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoCalifornia State University-Long Beach
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$63,140-$22,169 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$10,440-$19,925 vs University of San Diego · lower cost
Admission rate52.4%46.3%
Explore California State University-Long Beach →
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Redlands82.7% admitted
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoUniversity of Redlands
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$75,863-$9,446 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$30,031-$334 vs University of San Diego · lower cost
Admission rate52.4%82.7%
Explore University of Redlands →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of RedlandsNearby option · CA
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoUniversity of Redlands
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$75,863-$9,446 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$30,031-$334 vs University of San Diego · lower cost
Admission rate52.4%82.7%
Explore University of Redlands →
Higher-earnings alternativeAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences$113,282 earnings
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$113,282+$27,973 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$29,882-$483 vs University of San Diego · lower cost
Admission rate52.4%52.7%
Explore Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of California-San Diego$12,470 average net price
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoUniversity of California-San Diego
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$83,130-$2,179 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$12,470-$17,895 vs University of San Diego · lower cost
Admission rate52.4%26.7%
Explore University of California-San Diego →
Similar profileUniversity of San FranciscoMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of San Diego
MeasureUniversity of San DiegoUniversity of San Francisco
Peer earnings · 4 years$85,309$91,483+$6,174 vs University of San Diego
Average annual net price$30,365$41,431+$11,066 vs University of San Diego · higher cost
Admission rate52.4%61.7%
Explore University of San Francisco →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings