University of San Diego

University of San Diego logo
#1011 / #291
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#104
Most Desirable School
Private university in San Diego, California, United States

University of San Diego at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#291
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
52%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$62,420
Graduation rate
81%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
5,671

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

University of San Diego Featured Rankings

About University of San Diego

According to Wikipedia, The University of San Diego is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University , the two institutions merged in 1972.

University of San Diego's Online Degrees

MS in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership
  • Required Credits: 31
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership
  • Required Credits: 31
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MEd in Curriculum and Instruction
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MEd in Inclusive Learning: Special Education and Universal Design
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MEd in Literacy and Digital Learning
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MEd in School Leadership
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MEd in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics STEAM
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Health Care Informatics
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online

University of San Diego Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
15,95352%91%81%

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 University of San Diego Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$62,420
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$16,814
30K - 48K$17,381
48K - 75K$21,109
75K - 110K$24,962
110K+$52,698

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 University of San Diego Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former University of San Diego students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $93,069 a year, and 93% 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.

University of San Diego's Demographics

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

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
10,2826,1204,162

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

Where is University of San Diego?

University of San Diego is located at 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110-2492.

How Safe is University of San Diego?

Relative to its enrollment, University of San Diego has a violent crime rate of 0.09% and a property crime rate of 0.34%. San Diego has a violent crime rate of 0.41% and a property crime rate of 1.69%. 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 University of San Diego Known For?

University of San Diego is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

University of San Diego's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much University of San Diego'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

Law
#412
World Rank
#420
Historical Rank
#141
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #141 in the U.S. and #412 worldwide for influence in Law.

Business
#663
World Rank
#664
Historical Rank
#209
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #209 in the U.S. and #663 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Sociology
#787
World Rank
#801
Historical Rank
#213
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #213 in the U.S. and #787 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Nursing
#586
World Rank
#587
Historical Rank
#223
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #223 in the U.S. and #586 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Criminal Justice
#458
World Rank
#462
Historical Rank
#257
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #257 in the U.S. and #458 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Economics
#1304
World Rank
#1313
Historical Rank
#258
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #258 in the U.S. and #1304 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Political Science
#1044
World Rank
#1058
Historical Rank
#260
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #260 in the U.S. and #1044 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Philosophy
#881
World Rank
#946
Historical Rank
#273
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #273 in the U.S. and #881 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Engineering
#1715
World Rank
#1740
Historical Rank
#284
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #284 in the U.S. and #1715 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
History
#810
World Rank
#827
Historical Rank
#288
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #288 in the U.S. and #810 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Religious Studies
#1244
World Rank
#1267
Historical Rank
#294
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #294 in the U.S. and #1244 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Mathematics
#1152
World Rank
#1206
Historical Rank
#295
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #295 in the U.S. and #1152 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Chemistry
#1533
World Rank
#1559
Historical Rank
#300
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #300 in the U.S. and #1533 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Medical
#1177
World Rank
#1182
Historical Rank
#326
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #326 in the U.S. and #1177 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Education
#1451
World Rank
#1454
Historical Rank
#339
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #339 in the U.S. and #1451 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Anthropology
#1060
World Rank
#1079
Historical Rank
#345
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #345 in the U.S. and #1060 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Biology
#1407
World Rank
#1438
Historical Rank
#346
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #346 in the U.S. and #1407 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Communications
#1296
World Rank
#1326
Historical Rank
#353
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #353 in the U.S. and #1296 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Social Work
#913
World Rank
#916
Historical Rank
#360
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #360 in the U.S. and #913 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Psychology
#1147
World Rank
#1162
Historical Rank
#447
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #447 in the U.S. and #1147 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Physics
#2076
World Rank
#2105
Historical Rank
#454
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #454 in the U.S. and #2076 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Literature
#1637
World Rank
#1693
Historical Rank
#536
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #536 in the U.S. and #1637 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Computer Science
#2838
World Rank
#2846
Historical Rank
#634
USA Rank

University of San Diego ranks #634 in the U.S. and #2838 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees

Who Are University of San Diego's Most Influential Alumni?

University of San Diego's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Law, Criminal Justice, and Nursing. Here are some of University of San Diego's most famous alumni:

Jonny Kim
Jonny Kim
An American physician, Navy SEAL, and NASA astronaut candidate.
Philippa Marrack
Philippa Marrack
A United States-based English biologist and immunologist.
Jim Parsons
Jim Parsons
An American actor.
Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn
A Canadian ice hockey player.
Sandra Schmid
Sandra Schmid
A Canadian biologist.
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
An American basketball head coach, born 1970.
Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman
An American basketball coach.
Wendy Mackay
Wendy Mackay
A Computer Scientist.
Matthew Brouillette
Matthew Brouillette
An American activist.
Brian Matusz
Brian Matusz
An American baseball player.
Paul Sewald
An American professional baseball pitcher.
Maggie Dixon
Maggie Dixon
An American basketball player and coach .

Who Are University of San Diego's Most Influential Faculty?

University of San Diego's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Law, Criminal Justice, and Nursing. Here are some of University of San Diego's most famous faculty:

Michael Shulman
An American mathematician.
Satyan Devadoss
An American mathematician.
Junichi P. Semitsu
An American legal scholar.
Orly Lobel
An Israeli writer.
Victoria Fu
An American artist.
Gerard Mannion
An Irish Catholic theologian.