Chapman University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
La Mirada, California · Private nonprofit · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
Chapman University is a private nonprofit university in La Mirada, California that admits about 60% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $28,101 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Film/Video and Photographic Arts, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.6 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Chapman University is a private institution located in La Mirada, California with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Chapman University admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 60%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1258 and an ACT composite around 26. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,101 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Chapman University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Chapman University?
Chapman University admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Chapman University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 550–670, with an EBRW midpoint near 626. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 24–30. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | — |
| 50th percentile | 1258 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| 25th percentile | 24 |
| 50th percentile | 26 |
| 75th percentile | 30 |
How much does Chapman University actually cost?
Published tuition is $46,704 for in-state students and $46,704 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $11,234 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $28,101 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 26% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| Average net price (after aid) | $28,101 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Chapman University
Most popular majors at Chapman University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Chapman University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Film/Video and Photographic Arts. Across all programs, Chapman University confers roughly 499 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $51,956 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 106 | — |
| Psychology, General | 97 | $51,956 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 75 | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 55 | $88,061 |
| Biology, General | 54 | $58,547 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 50 | $76,744 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 36 | $53,454 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 26 | $48,370 |
Is Chapman University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Chapman University disclosed 9 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.6 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 4 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Chapman University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Chapman University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Chapman University
What GPA do I need for Chapman University?
Chapman University admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does Chapman University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 550–670, with an EBRW midpoint near 626. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 24–30.
How much does Chapman University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Chapman University after grants and scholarships is $28,101 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Chapman University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Chapman University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Chapman University?
Chapman University accepts about 60% of applicants. That makes it a moderately selective school.
Is Chapman University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Chapman University is a private nonprofit institution located in La Mirada, California.
What are the most popular majors at Chapman University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Chapman University by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Film/Video and Photographic Arts. The school awards about 499 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Chapman University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Chapman University reported 9 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.6 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Chapman University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.