1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [University of San Diego](/school/university-of-san-diego/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# University of San Diego Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-san-diego/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-san-diego/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-san-diego/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-san-diego/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-san-diego/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of San Diego cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) — what students pay after grants and scholarships — falls to $30,365, a savings of $48,355 against the sticker total. That average net price 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.

Affordability is the weakest pillar for University of San Diego, at the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #1,249 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) here is $30,365, $2,994 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, the average runs from $15,586 for families earning under $30,000 to $46,989 for those earning over $110,000.

Borrowers who finish hold a median of $22,940 in federal loans, $1,259 below the peer median.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steep progression. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $15,586; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $17,441; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $19,557; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $27,012; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $46,989.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.9% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $31,403.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,586

**$30–48K**
$17,441

**$48–75K**
$19,557

**$75–110K**
$27,012

**$110K+**
$46,989

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$30,365**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At the University of San Diego, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $56,559. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$56,559

**Estimated parent payment**
$719/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-san-diego#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-san-diego#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.