College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Vanguard University of Southern California

CASmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #694 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places its composite profile in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit university in Costa Mesa, California, where Business, Psychology, and Health Professions lead the degree mix. Access is the strongest , sitting above average, while mobility is modestly below average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures subtracts, while the part it cannot explain adds.

The earnings advantage is not simply a matter of field of study or the local labor market. Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility sits modestly below average.

The net price for the lowest income band is well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. A spread remains between what the lowest and highest income bands pay.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest program, Psychology, should know that its earnings sit below the best-paid program, Nursing, by a wide margin.

Vanguard University of Southern California at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
62.4%
Six-year completion[2]
56.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$65,874

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$18,976
Median student debt[4]
$22,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$25,750

Vanguard University of Southern California rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Vanguard University of Southern California is a private nonprofit university in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling 1,933 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (53rd percentile).

The university admits 62.4% of applicants, a rate below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 70.1% return for a second year, against a peer median of 74.2%, the middle value for comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate is 56.8%, which sits just above the peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 26.1% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students.

The four pillars sit some distance apart. Access is the strongest, while mobility is the weakest. Return and affordability sit between them, near the middle of the field.

Access is the clearest part of the profile for readers weighing how the university serves its undergraduate population. Azimuth places Vanguard University of Southern California's access pillar in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, return stands in the 54th percentile and affordability in the 52nd percentile. Mobility is the weakest pillar, at the 27th percentile. Stronger access alongside lower mobility makes the pillar picture uneven.

43.8% of undergraduates at Vanguard University of Southern California receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Vanguard University of Southern California #433 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at a rate of 44.8%, which is 12.0 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate for the entering cohort. Azimuth ranks the university #1,077 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

Vanguard University of Southern California rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#694
California#56
West#110

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 27
Access & reach
National percentile: 71
Affordability
National percentile: 52
Return on investment
National percentile: 54

01 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

Vanguard University of Southern California cost & financial aid[6][7]

At Vanguard University of Southern California, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,241. The published cost of attendance is $52,665, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $41,700, and room and board are $13,450. Average financial aid offsets $31,424 of that published price for aid recipients.

Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347, placing the university $1,106 below that benchmark. Azimuth ranks the university #686 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The below-peer and the affordability rank describe different views of the same cost picture, with the published budget still setting the starting price.

The published cost of attendance at Vanguard University of Southern California is $52,665 (an average across living arrangements), leaving aid-recipient prices to vary across family-income bands. Average net price is $17,225 in the lowest family-income band, $18,462 in the lower-middle band, $18,976 in the middle band, $24,117 in the upper-middle band, and $27,684 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,459. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, financial aid reduces the published price by $31,424, and aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,241.

That figure is $1,106 below the peer median net price of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $41,700.

Lower average pricing than peers sits alongside substantial average aid coverage. Federal student loan borrowers who complete leave with median debt of $22,000, and 89.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is $3,000 below the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). The median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,750.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$18,976

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Vanguard University of Southern California

Borrowing is widespread at Vanguard University of Southern California, yet its typical federal debt sits below that of comparable schools. 89.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $22,000 at completion.

The peer median debt, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, placing the university’s median $3,000 below it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,750.

Four years after completing a degree, graduates of Vanguard University of Southern California earn a median of $65,874, a figure in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $9,959 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the gap at the 67th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $44,952 in a downside case to $87,066 in an upside case, with the typical outcome matching the observed median.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $22,000. That is $3,000 below the $25,000 peer median, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $25,750, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$25,750

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$250/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$327/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 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

Vanguard University of Southern California career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Vanguard University of Southern California posts median earnings of $65,874 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, placing it in the 68th percentile. That figure is $9,959 above the peer median of $55,915, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places its return pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,298. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,981.

Vanguard University of Southern California shows a favorable earnings picture for its federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, with median earnings of $65,874 four years after completion. Azimuth places those earnings in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawing on an earnings cohort of 113 completers.

A typical modeled scenario based on the program mix places earnings at $65,874 four years after completion; this is a scenario, not an observed graduate group. An estimated 30.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

The earnings percentile and the typical scenario offer a consistent view of outcomes, while graduate study remains part of the picture for an estimated share of completers.

Vanguard University of Southern California federally aided graduates earn a median of $65,874 four years after completing a degree, in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $55,915, leaving the university $9,959 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks the university #675 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome falls in the 67th percentile when compared among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,981.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,298. Inside those measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $123.

The bachelor's program mix leans heavily toward business, psychology and health professions, while STEM fields account for only a small share of degrees awarded. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $44,952 while the upside scenario is $87,066.

An estimated 30.9% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Field choice matters at Vanguard University of Southern California because modeled earnings span a broad range. The downside earnings scenario is $44,952, and the upside scenario is $87,066; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups.

Published program medians four years after completion range from $102,239 in Nursing to $62,957 in Business Administration and Management and $47,582 in Psychology. These field-level results help explain the spread between the earnings scenarios.

Graduates of Vanguard University of Southern California earn a median of $65,874 four years after completion, and they earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students. The debt they carry is $3,000 below the median for comparable institutions.

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $22,000 in federal student loans. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,241. That figure is $1,106 below the median for comparable institutions, and aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $25,750.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$1,298
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$4,981
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,683

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 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

Vanguard University of Southern California acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

At Vanguard University of Southern California, 62.4% of the reported applicant pool was admitted, so the rate describes the share of applicants who received an offer. That rate is below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
62.4%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

What are the largest majors at Vanguard University of Southern California?[12]

Available program figures place Nursing at the higher-earning end, with median earnings of $102,239 four years after completion across 62 degrees awarded in one academic year. Business Administration and Management occupies a more moderate position at $62,957, with 53 degrees awarded.

Psychology is lower among the available fields, at $47,582 and 69 degrees awarded. The contrast between the health field and the business and psychology fields shows that the school-level earnings picture can look different depending on field.

These figures are program medians four years after completion, and the degree counts describe awards in a single academic year rather than the earnings cohorts.

Program choice matters at Vanguard University of Southern California, where the available fields show a wide spread in earnings four years after completion. Business is the largest program family, accounting for 17.4% of bachelor’s degrees awarded.

Published earnings data cover 3 fields. Psychology, the largest listed program, awarded 69 degrees and had median earnings of $47,582.

The contrast across these fields makes the intended major central to the earnings picture.

The program mix at Vanguard University of Southern California is balanced across three main families. Business accounts for 17.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Psychology at 17.0% and Health Professions at 15.2%.

The largest single programs are Psychology at 69 degrees awarded, Nursing at 62, and Business Administration and Management at 53. Nursing is both the second-largest program and the highest-earning one.

Graduates earn a median of $102,239 four years after completion, or 1.15x the national median for its field. That is more than double the earnings of Psychology, the largest program, where graduates earn $47,582.

Business Administration and Management is the third-largest program and the second-highest-earning, with a median of $62,957 four years out. That figure sits at 0.92x the national median for the field.

Three programs have published four-year earnings data. The pattern here is one of concentration: the three largest programs are also the three highest-earning ones, and the spread between them is wide.

Nursing graduates earn more than twice the median of Psychology graduates. Across all fields, 9.3% of degrees are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 69 degrees awarded
$47,582
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 62 degrees awarded
$102,239
Business Administration, Management and Operations 53 degrees awarded
$62,957
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 43 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Communication and Media Studies 39 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Education, General 24 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report

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 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

How does Vanguard University of Southern California serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility presents a mixed picture: the first-time full-time cohort has a 56.8% six-year graduation rate, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 44.8%, below the overall rate by 12.0 percentage points. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the mobility pillar falls in the 27th percentile.

Graduates earn about $3,683 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 67th percentile.

Above-expected modeled earnings sit alongside lower completion for Pell recipients than for the cohort overall.

With 43.8% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants, Vanguard University of Southern California presents an access picture that is broader than admission alone. Its admission rate is 62.4%, and undergraduate enrollment stands at 1,933.

An estimated 26.1% of undergraduates enter as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth puts the access pillar in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell participation and transfer entry show that access at the university includes routes beyond first-time enrollment.

06 / Vanguard University of Southern California briefing

What colleges are similar to Vanguard University of Southern California?[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 Vanguard University of Southern California.

Admissions peerUniversity of La Verne71.2% admitted
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of La Verne
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$64,109-$1,765 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$20,161-$1,080 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · lower cost
Admission rate62.4%71.2%
Explore University of La Verne →
Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton90.5% admitted
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$63,753-$2,121 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$6,555-$14,686 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · lower cost
Admission rate62.4%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of La VerneNearby option · CA
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of La Verne
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$64,109-$1,765 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$20,161-$1,080 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · lower cost
Admission rate62.4%71.2%
Explore University of La Verne →
Higher-earnings alternativeSUNY Maritime College$104,752 earnings
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaSUNY Maritime College
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$104,752+$38,878 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$22,367+$1,126 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · higher cost
Admission rate62.4%72.4%
Explore SUNY Maritime College →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$59,756-$6,118 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$3,967-$17,274 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · lower cost
Admission rate62.4%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Similar profileOccidental CollegeMatched across several measures
Comparison with Vanguard University of Southern California
MeasureVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaOccidental College
Peer earnings · 4 years$65,874$68,467+$2,593 vs Vanguard University of Southern California
Average annual net price$21,241$38,263+$17,022 vs Vanguard University of Southern California · higher cost
Admission rate62.4%44.2%

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