University of San Diego

In the US News rankings, the University of San Diego placed 100th among national universities in 2027, showing modest improvement after dropping slightly in recent cycles. Gaining admission is moderately selective, with the university admitting a smaller share of applicants than most comparable institutions. In 2025, its undergraduate acceptance rate was 52.4%, which was higher than 23% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private research universities. However, the university experiences limited drawing power once admission offers are extended. Its yield rate was 12.4% in 2025, reflecting that the share of admitted students who enrolled remains low. For prospective applicants, this combination indicates that while admission standards require solid academic preparation to secure an offer, admitted students frequently weigh USD alongside numerous competing alternatives rather than treating an acceptance as their final destination.

The University of San Diego operates under a test-blind admission policy, meaning standardized test scores are not considered even if submitted. Because test results play no role in review, academic evaluation relies almost entirely on high school performance and course difficulty. Admissions standards are rigorous, as demonstrated by secondary school achievement records. For the 2023–2024 academic year, 62.0% of entering students presented a 4.0 high school GPA, and the vast majority of the class earned marks in the top tiers. Additionally, in unofficial applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway rather than official university data, admitted international students held a median unweighted GPA of 3.8 and a median SAT score of 1290. For prospective applicants, building a strong academic profile through challenging coursework and consistently high classroom grades is essential, as academic transcripts serve as the central foundation of the selection process.

Undergraduate study at the University of San Diego shows moderate concentration, particularly within commercial fields. In 2025, the top three bachelor's programs represented 28.6% of all bachelor's degrees conferred, led by Finance, General with 185 graduates, alongside Business Administration and Management, General and Psychology, General. Highly enrolled disciplines align closely with several of the institution's strongest department reputations. In the 2027 US News rankings, undergraduate Real Estate placed 16th and Entrepreneurship ranked 37th nationwide, though general finance itself does not appear among the top-ranked specialties. Graduate studies also excel in legal fields, highlighted by a 12th-place ranking for Tax Law in 2026. Across bachelor's fields, prospective students should note that earnings vary significantly by discipline. Based on 2023 earnings data one year after graduation, median earnings reached $88,462 in Computer Science and $81,593 in Mechanical Engineering, outperforming introductory business and economics paths.

The University of San Diego enrolled 9,714 students across all levels in 2025, comprising traditional undergraduates, transfer cohorts, and graduate divisions. Domestic White and Hispanic students form the largest demographic groups on campus, while Asian and international scholars make up focused segments. Among the 1,104 incoming first-year undergraduates, Asian students represented 7% of the cohort, while international students accounted for 4.7%. Within the graduate population, Asian enrollment expands to 11.3%, whereas international students represent a smaller share. Across degree levels, female students outnumber male peers, comprising a distinct majority of both the entering first-year class and the graduate student population. For families evaluating the campus community, the student composition reflects an institution rooted largely in domestic enrollment, where international and Asian students represent modest minority populations across both undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs.

Undergraduate education at the University of San Diego is centered around traditional college-aged individuals. In 2025, students aged 20 to 21 accounted for 43.5% of the undergraduate body, while those aged 18 to 19 made up 39.1%. This concentration establishes an undergraduate environment composed almost entirely of emerging adults progressing directly through college. In contrast, the graduate division exhibits a wider chronological distribution. Students aged 25 to 29 formed the largest segment at 26.7% of graduate enrollment, followed closely by scholars aged 22 to 24. This contrast suggests that undergraduate daily life revolves around peers at the same developmental stage, whereas graduate classrooms combine recent college graduates with experienced working professionals balancing ongoing career obligations.

International representation at the University of San Diego has trended downward over the past decade across both undergraduate and graduate divisions. At the undergraduate level, the international share stood at 7.2% in 2025, which remained higher than 70% of peer schools among 30 similarly ranked private research universities. At the graduate level, international enrollment declined over the decade to 4% in 2025. Among 2025 graduates, international students were unevenly distributed across departments. Undergraduate international degree recipients concentrated primarily in business disciplines, comprising 13.8% of graduates in Business Administration and Management, General, as well as 13% in Finance, General, but only 1% in Psychology, General. Graduate international completions remained minimal overall, with limited presence in technical fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Computer and Information Systems Security, where zero international degrees were recorded. Families should recognize that global student communities are heavily anchored in undergraduate commerce curricula rather than technical or professional graduate cohorts.

Prospective students considering the University of San Diego can compare several other collegiate options located nearby in Southern California. Just 7 kilometers away, San Diego State University offers an immediate public alternative, ranked 137th among national universities in the 2027 rankings. Nearby research university University of California-San Diego sits 7.8 kilometers away and holds the 29th position nationally. Heading north, Soka University of America is located 62.6 kilometers away and ranked 41st among liberal arts colleges. In addition, Chapman University is located 80.3 kilometers away and shares the 100th ranking among national universities in 2027. These neighboring institutions present families with a selection of prominent public institutions, liberal arts colleges, and similarly ranked private universities in the broader region.

Campus safety records at the University of San Diego indicate a broad decline in reported infractions over the last decade. The crime rate per 1,000 students fell to 8.3 in 2025, down from earlier highs in the decade. Incident logs show that campus safety concerns consist overwhelmingly of university conduct citations rather than violent physical crime. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the largest volume of recorded incidents involved substance regulation violations, comprising 146 disciplinary referrals for alcohol and 129 disciplinary referrals for drugs. Property offenses also occurred during these years, with safety personnel recording motor vehicle thefts and burglaries on campus grounds. Violent incidents were comparatively infrequent, with stalking accounting for a modest number of reports across the same three-year timeframe. For incoming families, these reports indicate that safety oversight focuses predominantly on enforcing university substance policies and managing campus vehicular and property security.