University of San Diego: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
San Diego, California · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2025-2026
University of San Diego is a private nonprofit university in San Diego, California that admits about 47% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $31,265 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Finance and Financial Management Services, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 81% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 8.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
University of San Diego is a private institution located in San Diego, California with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, University of San Diego admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 47%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $31,265 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether University of San Diego 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 University of San Diego?
Admitted students at University of San Diego typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. 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.
What does University of San Diego weight in admissions?
University of San Diego reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Volunteer work
- • Interview
- • First generation status
- • Geographical residence
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Standardized test scores
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • State residency
SAT and ACT scores University of San Diego typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
- • Test-blind: University of San Diego does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, even if submitted.
- • Policy detail: Not considered
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 35% |
| Top 25% of class | 76% |
| Top 50% of class | 96% |
| % submitting class rank | 30% |
How much does University of San Diego actually cost?
Published tuition is $56,444 for in-state students and $56,444 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $18,084 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $31,265 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 19% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | $19,200 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $31,265 |
| Application fee | $70 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for University of San Diego
| Regular deadline | 1-15 |
| Reply deadline | 5-1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 11-1 |
Will my child graduate from University of San Diego?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at University of San Diego
The most popular undergraduate programs at University of San Diego, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Finance and Financial Management Services, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. Across all programs, University of San Diego confers roughly 956 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Finance and Financial Management Services program report a median income of about $107,544 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 204 | $107,544 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 166 | $84,779 |
| Psychology, General | 123 | $68,458 |
| Marketing | 116 | $80,998 |
| Real Estate | 107 | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 100 | $84,851 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 74 | $64,852 |
| Political Science and Government | 66 | $71,534 |
Is University of San Diego safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), University of San Diego disclosed 47 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 8.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 10 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.
What is campus life like at University of San Diego?
About 50% of undergraduates at University of San Diego live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 13% of men join a fraternity and 21% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
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 University of San Diego
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like University of San Diego 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 University of San Diego
What GPA do I need for University of San Diego?
Admitted students at University of San Diego typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does University of San Diego typically admit?
University of San Diego does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does University of San Diego actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at University of San Diego after grants and scholarships is $31,265 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 University of San Diego 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, University of San Diego 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 University of San Diego?
University of San Diego accepts about 47% of applicants out of roughly 17,468 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is University of San Diego test-optional?
University of San Diego is test-blind: it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, even if you submit them.
What is the graduation rate at University of San Diego?
About 81% of students at University of San Diego graduate within six years. 92% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does University of San Diego look for in applicants?
University of San Diego rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is University of San Diego a public or private school, and where is it located?
University of San Diego is a private nonprofit institution located in San Diego, California.
What are the most popular majors at University of San Diego?
The largest undergraduate majors at University of San Diego by annual graduates are Finance and Financial Management Services, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. The school awards about 956 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is University of San Diego safe? What is its campus crime rate?
University of San Diego reported 47 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 8.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at University of San Diego?
At University of San Diego, 50% of undergraduates live on campus, 13% of men are in fraternities, 21% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by University of San Diego, 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.