Bellus Academy-Chula Vista
For-profit College in Chula Vista, CA. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $23,576.
Ten-year median earnings of $23,576 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Completion is a strength: 68% of students finish within six years. Graduates leave owing a median of $7,917 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.34 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
68% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention of 77% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. A 13:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Being a for-profit two-year institution is the single most useful context for these numbers — the sector's spread is wide enough that the school-level figures matter more than usual. At 673 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 673 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $20,362 annually once grants are applied. Net price varies modestly by income — $20,635 at $0–30k against $20,159 at $75–110k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid reaches 67% of students at an average of $5,538. Borrowing is widespread: 59% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 157 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,635 |
| $30–48k | — |
| $48–75k | $22,949 |
| $75–110k | $20,159 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 398 of these 673 students, totalling $2,799,049 — an average of $7,033 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (San Diego County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)