Design Institute
of San Diego
For-profit College in San Diego, CA. Six-year graduation rate 80%. Median 10-year earnings $46,920.
Ten years after entry, the median Design Institute of San Diego student earns $46,920 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 80% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Debt is the pressure point: a median of $36,844 at graduation.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Graduation rate 80% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.79 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
Design Institute of San Diego admits 100% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. Only 7 students applied, so treat these rates as directional — small pools swing sharply between cycles. About 29% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Design Institute of San Diego →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 80% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. Just 0% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. The 8:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. This is a for-profit four-year institution. That is not disqualifying, but it does mean verifying accreditation, transferability of credits, and job-placement claims directly rather than trusting the category. At 92 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 92 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price — what students actually pay after grant aid — is $44,010 a year, at the high end of undergraduate cost. The income table below is the number that matters — $28,154 at $0–30k versus $42,093 at $110k+. About 75% get grants averaging $9,475, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Most students borrow — 63% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 · 1 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 | $28,154 |
| $30–48k | — |
| $48–75k | $44,010 |
| $75–110k | $25,392 |
| $110k+ | $42,093 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 58 of these 92 students, totalling $557,563 — an average of $9,613 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)