University of San Diego acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
University of San Diego is a private college in California that admits roughly 52% of applicants, which puts it in the moderately selective range. A rate like this means it admits more applicants than it rejects; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what University of San Diego weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1360, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at University of San Diego?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into University of San Diego?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into University of San Diego, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into University of San Diego?
At University of San Diego, your real chance depends on far more than the published 52% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for University of San Diego in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is University of San Diego hard to get into?
University of San Diego is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 52% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into University of San Diego?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at University of San Diego, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. University of San Diego reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for University of San Diego?
University of San Diego does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1360. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at University of San Diego.
Your chances at University of San Diego by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at University of San Diego for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at University of San Diego with a 3.5 GPA and a 1300 SAT?
About 77% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT, the middle of University of San Diego's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.8 GPA with a 1360 SAT comes out near 90%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/university-of-san-diego.
How to get into University of San Diego
Built from University of San Diego's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into University of San Diego comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at University of San Diego carries about a 3.43 core GPA and a 1310 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
University of San Diego rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm University of San Diego's exact dates at www.sandiego.edu.
How many students apply to University of San Diego, and how many get in?
15,953 students applied to University of San Diego for fall 2023; 7,458 were admitted (46.7%). 1,245 enrolled. Only about 17% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. University of San Diego enrolls about 5,671 undergraduates in total, 56% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for University of San Diego?
University of San Diego reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What University of San Diego looks for
What University of San Diego weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
University of San Diego signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from University of San Diego's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at University of San Diego
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does University of San Diego cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at University of San Diego (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $78,720 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $59,486. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,365 a year, and it ranges from $15,586 for families earning under $30,000 to $46,989 for families earning over $110,000. 21% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do University of San Diego graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for University of San Diego students ten years after entry are $86,522 ($64,995 at the six-year mark). 84% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $22,940; 32% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How University of San Diego compares in California
University of San Diego ranks #20 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, University of San Diego ranks #20 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to University of San Diego
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If University of San Diego is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Wofford College, Bard College, and Spring Arbor University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
More data for California: Cal Poly Pomona acceptance rate and your odds
Frequently asked questions
What is University of San Diego's acceptance rate?
University of San Diego admitted 7,458 of 15,953 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 46.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 17% of admitted students enrolled.
Is University of San Diego test-optional?
University of San Diego reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does University of San Diego cost after financial aid?
The average net price at University of San Diego, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $30,365 a year against a sticker price of about $78,720. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $15,586 on average.
What do University of San Diego graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering University of San Diego are $86,522 a year among students who received federal aid, and 84% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does University of San Diego value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, University of San Diego weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does University of San Diego consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. University of San Diego's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at University of San Diego?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at University of San Diego specifically.
What are the admission requirements for University of San Diego?
University of San Diego reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.