University of San Diego

University of San Diego Overview

University of San Diego is a private, religious school in an urban setting in San Diego, California. USD was founded in 1949 and the school now enrolls around 9,041 students a year, including 5,702 undergrad students. USD provides housing for up to 2,500 students. Most students live in off campus housing, and 75% of students spend their weekends on campus.

📆 Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2023 is December 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should find out if they have been admitted by March 1.

Student Activities at USD

Are you interested in music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? USD students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in Greek life? USD has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? USD has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at USD on the Student Life page.

Is USD a Good School?

The definition of a "good school" is different for different people. Some factors that can help you determine what a good school for you might be include admissions criteria, acceptance rate, tuition costs, and more.

Let's take a closer look at these factors to get a better idea of what USD offers and if the school seems like a good fit for you.

USD Acceptance Rate 2022

USD is very difficult to get into. Around 53% of applicants get into USD each year. Out of 14,326 applications received in 2022, 7,550 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at USD

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 92% of students who start at USD return for their second year of college. Around 80% of students who started at USD earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outlook USD Graduates

Job placement stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from USD by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads. Within six months of graduating, 98% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

Recent USD grads have an average starting salary of $60,000 a year. The average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year, though these numbers vary widely by major.

USD's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

As of 2022, the total market value of University of San Diego's endowment was $692.9 million. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021.

Tuition and Financial Aid at USD

Tuition cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

USD meets 78% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend USD full-time are awarded $44,517 a year in financial aid, on average.

The average student debt for graduates in the class of 2022 was around $27,020 per student, not including those with no debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at USD.

Based on this information, does USD seem like a good fit? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is USD a good school for you?

If University of San Diego seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Researching Schools?

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

USD Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting accepted at some of the schools in the U.S.

Where is USD?

USD is located in the urban setting of San Diego, California, less than an hour from San Diego.

If you are interested in seeing USD for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 5 to San Diego, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Lindbergh Field.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what USD and San Diego are like without leaving home.

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