Colleges

Colleges in San Diego, California

San Diego, California has 4 four-year colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: 1 public and 3 private. The largest is San Diego State University, with 35,377 undergraduates.

SchoolTypeUndergradsAcceptance rateSAT middle 50%In-state tuitionAvg. net priceGrad rate
San Diego State Universitypublic35,37736.2%$8,728$15,36476.4%
National Universityprivate10,794$13,284$22,87842.9%
University of San Diegoprivate5,67152.4%$59,486$30,36583.7%
Point Loma Nazarene Universityprivate3,18883.7%1175–1365$46,250$38,72977.2%

A blank cell means the school did not report that figure. Net price is the average cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Graduation rate is within six years.

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Frequently asked questions

How many colleges are in San Diego, California?

4 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates, 1 public and 3 private, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Community colleges, for-profit schools, and online-only schools are not counted.

What is the hardest college to get into in San Diego, California?

By acceptance rate, San Diego State University (36.2%), University of San Diego (52.4%), Point Loma Nazarene University (83.7%) are the most selective.

What is the cheapest public college in San Diego, California?

San Diego State University has the lowest published in-state tuition and fees of the public four-year colleges here, at $8,728 a year. That is the sticker price before financial aid.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release. These are federal figures. Schools with a linked profile have also been checked against their own filings; the others have not.