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Private College

National University

Private College in San Diego, CA. Six-year graduation rate 50%. Median 10-year earnings $67,548.

Verdict Solid outcomes
National University · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$67,548
Median debt at grad
$25,000
Graduation rate
50%
Federal loan default
0%

Ten-year median earnings of $67,548 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. 50% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $25,000, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Academics

Full-time retention
53%
Transfer-out rate
0%
Student:faculty
16:1

Six-year completion sits at 50%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. Just 53% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 29% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The student-faculty ratio is 16:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$25,043
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
50%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
26%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 9,725 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Students pay an average of $25,043 annually once grants are applied. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $21,554 at the $0–30k band to $32,956 at $110k+. 50% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,027 — common but not automatic. 26% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.

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.

% receiving grants
79%
Average grant
$10,200

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 19 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 $21,554
$30–48k $26,583
$48–75k $25,176
$75–110k
$110k+ $32,956

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 2,495 of these 9,725 students, totalling $20,854,594 — an average of $8,359 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.

Studio
$2,288/mo
1 bedroom
$2,459/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$3,001/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
Yellow Ribbon
Yes
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare National University with peer institutions

How we evaluate National University

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →