National University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · 10,794 undergrads (medium, city) · website ↗
- 32% Hispanic undergrads
- No application fee
- Open admission
What you'll actually pay
Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.
| Household income | Avg net price / year |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $21,554 |
| $30,000 – $48,000 | $26,583 |
| $48,000 – $75,000 | $25,176 |
| $75,000 – $110,000 | — |
| Over $110,000 | — |
| All incomes (average) | $22,878 |
Sticker tuition and fees: $13,284 in-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.
These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use National University's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.
Net price calculator ↗Other costs of attendance, 2025–26
The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.
| Housing and meals, off campus (not with family) | $30,361 |
| Books and supplies | $936 |
| Other expenses, off campus | $8,292 |
Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23
What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (13 of them) in 2022–23; 77% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.
| Type of aid | Students awarded | Average amount |
|---|---|---|
| Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own | 69% | $6,863 |
| Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government | 38% | $3,988 |
| The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college | 46% | $5,996 |
| Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans | 23% | $7,175 |
IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.
Admissions & outcomes
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
- Students with Pell grants
- 29%
- Graduation rate (6yr)
- 43%
- Freshman retention
- 53%
- Median earnings @ 10yr
- $67,548
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- International undergrads
- 2 (0%)
For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.
Admission policy, test scores and teaching
- SAT/ACT policy
- Open admission
- Application fee
- None
- Students per faculty member
- 16 to 1
- Faculty who are full-time
- 11%
Admits any student who applies (fall 2024)
undergraduate, 2023–24
undergraduates, fall 2024
fall 2024
What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023
Not reported (open admission).
IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.
Most popular fields of study
Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.
Earnings and debt by field of study
Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.
Bachelor's degrees (29)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 262 | $108,706 | $114,413national $88,910 | $25,604 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 239 | $68,087 | $78,266national $68,257 | $28,125 |
| Psychology, General | 172 | $50,504 | $66,849national $50,706 | $26,334 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 105 | $66,056 | $81,299national $55,378 | $25,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 86 | $48,306 | $53,761national $47,382 | $32,812 |
| Security Science and Technology | 69 | $74,992 | —national $57,805 | $23,218 |
| Homeland Security | 43 | $75,991 | $80,134national $70,193 | $25,000 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 43 | $74,383 | $94,118national $83,290 | $28,125 |
| Public Health | 41 | $56,313 | $70,340national $58,808 | $35,969 |
| Computer Science | 40 | $98,371 | $95,555national $107,009 | $37,738 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 40 | $53,743 | $59,956national $58,716 | $35,937 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 40 | $58,036 | $79,696national $76,194 | $31,250 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 39 | $53,588 | $79,900national $75,975 | $25,000 |
| Sociology | 36 | $51,370 | $64,860national $52,657 | $25,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 31 | $59,026 | —national $53,072 | $28,906 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 29 | $60,135 | $76,305national $61,296 | $23,437 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | 21 | — | $58,727national $50,532 | $26,843 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 19 | — | $59,192national $48,590 | $25,000 |
| History | 18 | — | $59,645national $50,680 | $20,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 17 | $51,723 | —national $63,560 | — |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 17 | — | —national $61,959 | $29,687 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 16 | — | $62,748national $54,562 | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 13 | $73,991 | $94,203national $85,063 | — |
| Business/Corporate Communications | 12 | $48,011 | —national $65,784 | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 11 | — | $97,525national $88,451 | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 8 | $91,106 | $100,721national $100,647 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 7 | $61,772 | —national $51,389 | — |
| Construction Engineering | 1 | $82,479 | —national $97,303 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 0 | — | $121,408national $70,786 | — |
Associate degrees (2)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 105 | $53,556 | $60,134national $44,125 | $10,500 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | — | $42,417 | $77,786national $75,809 | $10,500 |
Master's degrees (30)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 1,098 | $61,834 | $78,497national $65,184 | $29,078 |
| Education, General | 779 | $66,997 | $77,748national $65,824 | $35,541 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 352 | $76,119 | $85,908national $64,397 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 298 | $81,774 | $96,924national $103,485 | $30,750 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 138 | $71,197 | $78,979national $60,111 | $41,000 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 119 | $68,515 | —national $66,232 | $20,500 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 103 | $99,154 | $110,083national $71,685 | $24,859 |
| Psychology, General | 89 | $61,132 | $71,001national $64,711 | $33,405 |
| Security Science and Technology | 87 | $58,782 | $66,173national $82,399 | $34,082 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 82 | $85,835 | $66,189national $55,512 | $28,655 |
| Public Health | 79 | $63,634 | $73,936national $82,751 | $49,240 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 75 | $101,391 | $118,388national $121,855 | $38,616 |
| Public Administration | 68 | $78,390 | $88,988national $81,408 | $32,054 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 67 | $74,516 | $81,583national $83,558 | $34,019 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 61 | $66,926 | $67,015national $59,916 | $20,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 59 | $71,718 | $93,465national $95,833 | $21,197 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 41 | $70,662 | $81,355national $89,981 | $52,111 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 37 | $54,811 | $47,529national $62,033 | $41,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 37 | $139,947 | $127,649national $120,193 | $41,000 |
| Homeland Security | 35 | $69,579 | $75,701national $96,660 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 33 | $79,838 | $65,405national $66,714 | $32,491 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 26 | $61,543 | $63,474national $71,953 | $20,500 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 24 | $105,249 | $108,725national $125,651 | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 21 | $86,362 | $93,547national $70,644 | $20,500 |
| Statistics | 21 | $105,040 | —national $123,816 | $31,361 |
| Computer Science | 18 | $102,147 | $132,798national $145,571 | — |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | 15 | $85,508 | $88,945national $101,441 | $35,567 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 2 | $44,497 | $54,662national $55,035 | — |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 1 | — | $118,874national $106,092 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 0 | $48,733 | —national $51,486 | — |
Doctoral degrees (2)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | $89,962 | —national $99,878 | $82,739 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | — | — | —national $138,131 | $209,647 |
Graduate certificates (1)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 59 | $151,215 | —national $126,911 | — |
A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 64 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.
Contact and accreditation
- Address
- 9388 Lightwave Ave, San Diego, CA 92123
- Phone
- (800) 628-8648
- Institutional accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
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Find my matches →Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.
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