San Diego Christian College

San Diego Christian College logo
#7642 / #2030
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#1426
Most Desirable School
Private, conservative evangelical Christian college located in El Cajon, California

San Diego Christian College at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#2030
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
31%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$29,448
Graduation rate
27%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
87

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

San Diego Christian College Featured Rankings

About San Diego Christian College

Reasons to Choose San Dieg

  • Community: All students, staff members, and faculty members are required to adhere to a community covenant governing their principles and standards of conduct. This covenant encourages integrity and Christian character in all aspects of life and helps keep the community united in their faith and beliefs.
  • Online Learning: If a traditional on-campus experience isn’t the right fit, San Diego offers students the opportunity to receive their degree through online learning. This method can often better facilitate adult students who may need to balance college classes with families or jobs.
  • Vision for the Future: San Diego aims to graduate students who are academically equipped, steeped in a Biblical worldview, and culturally and globally involved.

San Diego Christian College was founded in 1970 under the sponsorship of Scott Memorial Baptist Church. Located in the San Diego suburb of Santee, the college boasts an average temperature of 75 degrees.

Over the past 50 years, the school has grown to house more than 35 undergraduate degree programs, 4 graduate programs, and 600 students while remaining committed to its Christian foundation. San Diego offers a diverse range of degrees, spanning subjects from aviation to kinesiology. The student to faculty ratio is 8:1, and class sizes are small to encourage in-depth learning and understanding of course material.

In 2019, San Diego was placed on probationary status by its accrediting body Western Association of Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC), but the school has since reaffirmed its accreditation status and been removed from probation.

Let’s Talk Money:

  • Tuition: $31,680 for undergraduate programs
  • Financial Aid: 97% of students receive financial aid
  • Scholarship Options: There are 9 school-sponsored scholarships offered at San Diego

Students at San Diego have the opportunity to participate in spiritual and service-based activities including chapel services, mission trips, and ministry teams.

San Diego participates in sports as part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes and has cross country, basketball, soccer, and tennis teams in both men’s and women’s divisions as well as men’s baseball, women’s softball, and women’s volleyball teams. The Hawks have won several championships in women’s basketball, volleyball, and men’s basketball.

According to Wikipedia, San Diego Christian College is a private, evangelical college in Santee, California, a suburb of San Diego. Founded in 1970, SDCC offers traditional, non-traditional, and graduate programs. History In January 1970, Tim F. LaHaye, pastor of the former Scott Memorial Baptist Church of San Diego and co-author of the fictional Left Behind series of books, Art Peters and Henry M. Morris discussed the need for a Christian college on the West Coast where studies could be developed within the framework of creationism based on the Genesis creation narrative. That year, classes began at Christian Heritage College, supported by Scott Memorial Baptist Church. The first degrees were awarded in 1973.

San Diego Christian College's Online Degrees

BS in Business Management
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Leadership
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online
AA in Liberal Studies
  • Required Credits: 64
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Christian Ministries
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Communications
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Human Development
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 123
  • Completion Time: 4-5 years
  • Format: Fully online

San Diego Christian College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
32031%86%27%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does San Diego Christian College Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$29,448

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do San Diego Christian College Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former San Diego Christian College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $50,007 a year, and 86% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

San Diego Christian College's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
15012525

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is San Diego Christian College?

San Diego Christian College is located at 280 Riverview Parkway, Santee, CA 92071.

How Safe is San Diego Christian College?

No violent or property offenses were reported on San Diego Christian College’s campus in 2024. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, San Diego Christian College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Santee has a violent crime rate of 0.26% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.59%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is San Diego Christian College Known For?

San Diego Christian College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

San Diego Christian College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much San Diego Christian College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Biology
#2835
World Rank
#2863
Historical Rank
#647
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #647 in the U.S. and #2835 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Psychology
#2501
World Rank
#2516
Historical Rank
#957
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #957 in the U.S. and #2501 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Literature
#3486
World Rank
#3526
Historical Rank
#1162
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #1162 in the U.S. and #3486 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Religious Studies
#5462
World Rank
#5480
Historical Rank
#1174
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #1174 in the U.S. and #5462 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Criminal Justice
#3396
World Rank
#3399
Historical Rank
#1735
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #1735 in the U.S. and #3396 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Communications
#6463
World Rank
#6482
Historical Rank
#1736
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #1736 in the U.S. and #6463 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Business
#7095
World Rank
#7096
Historical Rank
#1962
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #1962 in the U.S. and #7095 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Education
#8331
World Rank
#8336
Historical Rank
#2235
USA Rank

San Diego Christian College ranks #2235 in the U.S. and #8331 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees