Vanguard University
of Southern California
Private College in Costa Mesa, CA. Six-year graduation rate 57%. Median 10-year earnings $59,541.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $59,541 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 57% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $22,000, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
62% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. 3,948 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. Yield is low at 20%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
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 Vanguard University of Southern California →Academics
57% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. 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
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,975 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $23,286 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $17,225 at the $0–30k band to $27,684 at $110k+. Most students get help: 94% receive grants worth $25,940 on average. Borrowing is widespread: 57% 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 · 491 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 | $17,225 |
| $30–48k | $18,462 |
| $48–75k | $18,976 |
| $75–110k | $24,117 |
| $110k+ | $27,684 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,127 of these 1,975 students, totalling $11,306,872 — an average of $10,033 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Orange 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)