Cost & financial aid brief
University of San Diego Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of San Diego cost after financial aid?
At the University of San Diego, the average net price is $30,365, which means aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average recipient. The discount is not flat across incomes.
The lowest band, families earning under $30,000, averages $15,586, while the highest band, over $110,000, averages $46,989—a spread of $31,403 between the two ends. The bands in between sit at $17,441, $19,557, and $27,012.
That pattern—lower net prices at lower incomes—points to aid that is targeted by need rather than spread evenly.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
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 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.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $56,559
- Estimated parent payment
- $719/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 42.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 19.0% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 9.0% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.9% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
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
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $980/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $85,309, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.1% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.